“Divided loyalties”: Gale won't share Tasmania with Hawthorn

Tasmania Devils CEO Brendon Gale has made it clear; his vision for the club doesn’t include sharing the state with Hawthorn.

Gale expressed his desire for Tasmania to fully embrace its own AFL team, moving beyond its long-standing partnership with the Hawks.

“My wish as the CEO of the Tasmania Devils is there will be a time when that (partnership) will come to an end,” he said on SEN Tassie's The Devil's Advocate.

“Because we are the Tasmania Devils, this is our home.

“We want to win the hearts and minds of all Tasmanians.”

While acknowledging Hawthorn’s deep roots in the state, Gale believes Tasmanian footy fans will ultimately gain more than they lose.

“There’s a lot of Hawthorn supporters (in Tasmania) who have done a fantastic job over 25 years, and rather than losing something, I think they are going to win so much more,” he added.

“Because it won’t be Hawthorn playing small market teams.

“It will be Tasmania playing Collingwood or Carlton or Essendon.”

Gale admitted his stance comes from a place of loyalty to the Devils.

“From a selfish point of view, I don’t want divided loyalties,” he said.

“Hawthorn’s future in Launceston will be a matter for Hawthorn, their board, the Launceston city council, and the state government to decide.

“Ultimately, it will be a matter for the government and the Hawthorn football club.”

The Devils are set to enter the competition in 2028 at this stage.