AFL urged to fast-track Tassie entry after Hurricanes and JackJumpers' success

Dwayne Russell thinks that the AFL must capitalise on the momentum Tasmania is creating across the nation’s other pro sporting leagues.

Russell’s comments came after the Hobart Hurricanes claimed the BBL|14 title on Monday night at Bellerive Oval, backing up the Tasmania JackJumpers’ NBL championship in the 2023-24 NBL season with both sides well supported by locals.

While the AFL has already committed to bringing in the Tasmania Devils in 2028, the Hobart-based side will only enter the competition once a new stadium at Macquarie Point is nearing its completion, with current estimates predicting a 2029 opening if the build is ticked off by parliament later this year.

If the stadium passes parliament, Russell thinks that the AFL should fast-track the introduction as the competition’s 19th side in 2027 instead of 2028.

“Should the AFL bring a team in from Tassie now for 2027?” Russell asked on SEN Afternoons.

“Should they just make the commitment anyway and play out of Bellerive and Launceston?

“The AFL has told the world that there won't be a team coming out of Tasmania unless they get the stadium built.

“Surely, all they need to do is actually tick off on the commitment and get a shovel in the ground, and we can commit to 2027.

“I think we do need to, the time is right now for the AFL I think to say, ‘Get a shovel on the ground, forget all the bitterness that's gone on. Make the commitment that the stadium's going to be built, even if it's in 2029, but let's get a team in 2027’.

“The JackJumpers have won, the Hurricanes have won, surely AFL is the next thing that we need to get into Hobart and Tasmania in general, and we can play out of Bellerive and Launceston for two years, even if it takes a couple of years before that stadium is ready.”

At this stage, the AFL will not bring the Devils into the national competition if the new stadium isn’t built.