Tassie chief disappointed by Hocking’s soft cap jibe

Tasmania Devils CEO Brendon Gale has hit back at Steve Hocking after comments he made about the fledgling club’s soft cap.

Despite the Cats being embroiled in the Jake Kolodjashnij concussion waiver saga, Hocking found the time and mental space to give the Devils a clip over nothing less than the soft cap pertaining to Tassie’s recruitment of Nigel Lappin.

The development guru will join the Devils at the end of this season after 18 years with the Cats.

“He has signed for five years so we are really happy for him. I’m not sure there is any soft cap down in Tassie, so good on him, it’s a great opportunity,” Hocking said on K-Rock.

“I don’t want it to be about potential salary or contract. His skills are so good. It will help set Tassie up and Kenny will need that support.”

Gale said it was “disappointing” that Hocking had to bring up the financial aspect of Lappin’s impending move.

“That’s probably something that is a little disappointing that puts the focus on the financial side of things,” Gale said.

“Nigel, as I said, has a deep affection for Tasmania, has had a (Bruny Island) holiday house for many years, and is a regular visitor. It’s up to us how we prioritise and things we prioritise and how we invest, development is such a key focus for our football club given the profile of our list.

“At the end of the day we don’t operate in an unregulated environment, we’re bound by soft cap rules like every club.

“The relationships are important but also he’s a development coach, he’s looking for the next opportunity and when you think about the profile of our list and the youth and inexperience, it’s just right for him to come and embrace this new challenge at a place that is meaningful to him.”

Devils head coach Ken Hinkley also responded to the cheeky little drive-by from Hocking.

On SEN’s Sportsday, Sam Edmund wondered why the Cats chief would take a discreet shot at the Devils regarding their soft cap.

“So a little drive-by, even though I thought he would have had bigger fish to fry, over your soft cap,” Edmund said.

“Is that even correct? You do have a soft cap, don’t you? Can you state that for the record?”

Devils coach Hinkley, who played alongside Hocking at the Cats from 1989 to 1994, insists there is nothing to worry about from a salary viewpoint.

“Yeah, there’s things in place that we have to abide by,” said Hinkley.

“With that comment I think Steve is acknowledging how good Nigel is. Perhaps that is the biggest part of that story.

“But he can be sure of one thing that we have rules to abide by, so there’s nothing to worry about there, Steve.”

There are some provisions for Tassie to lure new staff to the island, but from their entry season in 2028 they’ll be on a level playing field with all other 18 clubs when it comes to the soft cap.

“So you’ve got the same soft cap as everyone else from 2028 onwards,” Edmund explained.

“But obviously in the next 18 months - I’m not privy to these details - but there’s some provisions in place when it comes to relocating staff to make it possible.

“So a little leg-up in the short-term.”

Hinkley said for a brand new club starting out it makes total sense for them to invest in a person who has a great track record in the development space.

“The other thing about that with every club’s soft cap - and I know this for a fact - every club prioritises certain things within their spend. It makes a bit of sense that as a start-up club we would prioritise development,” he added.

“That’s not to say that we’re certainly overpaying Nigel Lappin. It’s been acknowledged by the rest of the comp that Nigel is one of the absolute best in development. So if you’re prioritising development, which we will be, it makes sense to invest in that area.”