Devils to fold

[Duff TV]

To all VFL clubs/sponsors/administrators/supporters

The Tassie Devils is very close to officially folding.

This is not being written by a mad/frustrated nong who doesn't know or understand the facts, more someone who is close to the action and can see reality as the writing is on the wall.

Pressure is mounting on the administration in Tasmania to announce just where they will spend their bucks on football in this state. The options are prop up the Devils or go with The Mariners (u18's) or a Statewide League consisting of the stronger clubs from Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport.

The administration wouldn't have a clue what to do and is in a spin as it has lost the support of the wider football community in Tasmania. It will however continue to play a straight bat and tell Andrew that all is OK and to the VFL that it will be there from 2009 and beyond.

But mark my word, the s... is about to hit the fan, the truth will come out and those running the show will have the curtain come down on them, sooner rather than later.

The Tassie Devils will leave us with some special memories and it will be sad to see them go.

But reality is it was never run as a club, could never make up its mind if it was a truly Tasmanian or Hobart team, was run by people who were only good at playing the game and a result - well history well tell us that.

So to the VFL, thank you for the opportunity, we (the Tasmanian Football public) are embarrassed to say the least, we wish the Port Melbourne's and Sandy's all the very best and the comp and all those involved a great future.

Signed


A typical Tasmanian football punter

 

[onslaught]

Its been a short, rocky road for the Devils..hopefully it's not all over for them just yet.

I would have thought part of its downfall would have been in part...the continuing North/South rivalry. The Devils just never seemed to attract much support up North.

It's been a great trip down for visiting VFL clubs, giving a chance for supporters to fly down to watch footy at Hobart and Launceston.

 

[Punt Road Feral]

Would surely put a dint in the expansion sides hopes of a Tasmanian team

 

[Kingpin]

Its been a short, rocky road for the Devils..hopefully it's not all over for them just yet.

I would have thought part of its downfall would have been in part...the continuing North/South rivalry. The Devils just never seemed to attract much support up North.

They've lost most of their following down South too.
That game on Saturday had an attendance posted as 1,500 according to the radio.
Having watched the match on television and having attended the ground for football matches in the past, I found that figure (and a number of their other attendance figures) highly dubious.
Camera shots panning around the ground showed no more than around 800 watching.

I know there was an SFL Premier League match between Clarence and Kingborough as a curtain raiser, but that wouldn't have dragged in very many (300-400 at the most).

No disrespect intended here, but I grew up hating Glenorchy, North Hobart, Clarence, New Norfolk and Sandy Bay etc, I never cared about Frankston or Werribee or the like, and I still don't.
It's time that underperforming drain on Tasmanian football money and resources was canned and our football nurtured from the bottom up.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Jump on Board Tassie Government!

keep them affloat. dip money in to get x-players down there (no official salary cap in VFL!) and in turn get some success.

New State league in Tas, keeping North vs South with an Inter-league final as the curtain raiser to a Tassie home match!

 

[InForAPenny]

I was at the game on Saturday and perhaps there were more people there for the curtain raiser than the main game. Many of them left before the main game started. This would not have been seen on TV. It is obviously misleading to cite the crowd number at 1500 when half of them weren't there to see the Devils.

This was my second trip to Tasmania for the footy and like a number of others we spent Thursday to Monday in Hobart taking in the sights as well as going to
Bellrieve (sic). We have enjoyed both trips immensely and would be disappointed if the opportunity to combine these things was no longer available.

Let's hope the powers that be can see that there is more in it for Tasmania than footy.

 

[walhawk]

The Devils were doing well until they joined forces with the Kangaroos.

And there is a salary cap in the VFL.

 

[table tennis]

If the devils fold, they should be putting every rescource into getting the new state league up and running, therefore they have a succesion plan if they ever do have a AFL side.

That way they can have thier reserves side in that comp as long as it is strong and proposals to date seem that the competition will be.

Tasmania will have a AFL side in at least 15 years. Might take a while, but taswegians, head up high, you will get there.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

If the devils fold, they should be putting every rescource into getting the new state league up and running, therefore they have a succesion plan if they ever do have a AFL side.

That way they can have thier reserves side in that comp as long as it is strong and proposals to date seem that the competition will be.

Tasmania will have a AFL side in at least 15 years. Might take a while, but taswegians, head up high, you will get there.

The Devils should fold and a state lague run again - just that the state league needs to have a bit mnore time and though put into it than Wade and co have done.
The Devils do nothing for Tasmanian football and only came about because of poor administration; at club and league level; of the old state league (and a bit of school Hodgman ego). The state league concept itself is sound; the way it was run inm the past was not, and the various proposals AFL Tas have put forward so far are not.

Tas will not have an AFL side in 15 years, or 50. So worrying about AFL reserves is not only premature, it is downright ludicrous (and therefore probably will go to the top of AFL Tas "thinking").

 

[Mitchell Madness]

The Devils were doing well until they joined forces with the Kangaroos.

And there is a salary cap in the VFL.

not officially.

there is an agreement on TPP, however, teams do not have to abide by it. It was an agreement put in place in 2001 to try and keep the competition stablke, rather then having 1 or 2 teams dominate.

 

[celtic_pride]

I thought/assumed Tassie was joining the SANFL next year ???

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I thought/assumed Tassie was joining the SANFL next year ???

Was talked about and rejected last year.

 

[MRobbo]

After talking with a few of Tassie boys after the game at Carlton today. They all prefer to be playing with the Devils next year rather than have a state league competition if there is a choice.

 

[nicko99]

bendigo should fold before tassie do....the restults speak for its self

 

[Luther]

Hoping the Devils continue to exist but it is not looking good

There is a lot of fighting between AFL Tas and the clubs re the intro of the Statewide league

Whatever is the best for Tas footy I am not sure - I do argue that it has been good for young Tas players being able to play in the VFL

 

[Kingpin]

According to the mail I have, the Southern SFL clubs invited to join the Statewide League next season held a meeting of their directors last night and have all, bar one club, signed on to commit to playing in the SFL for at least another three seasons.
This is basically due to a lack of trust towards AFL Tasmania in the rushed decision-making process of the rebirth of the league.
Also due to the lack of forthcoming concrete information in regard to it, the Fact Pack put out by AFL Tasmania has left clubs and fans alike with many unanswered questions.
It was reported in the media the other day that the Northern & Coastal clubs invited have all agreed to join and are not far away from signing on.
Allegedly the Devils are supposed to be having a meeting sometime this week to work out what direction they will be taking in regard to the future of the program.

I still feel a Statewide League with Lauderdale being included in place of New Norfolk is ridiculous and trying to bring it back next season is far too soon.
Should be ushered in 2010 and no earlier, get rid of the cancerous blight on Tasmanian football resources that the Devils are, and remove most of the flotsom & jetsom at AFL Tasmania also while we're at it.

 

[sportstalk07]

According to the mail I have, the Southern SFL clubs invited to join the Statewide League next season held a meeting of their directors last night and have all, bar one club, signed on to commit to playing in the SFL for at least another three seasons.
This is basically due to a lack of trust towards AFL Tasmania in the rushed decision-making process of the rebirth of the league.
Also due to the lack of forthcoming concrete information in regard to it, the Fact Pack put out by AFL Tasmania has left clubs and fans alike with many unanswered questions.
It was reported in the media the other day that the Northern & Coastal clubs invited have all agreed to join and are not far away from signing on.
Allegedly the Devils are supposed to be having a meeting sometime this week to work out what direction they will be taking in regard to the future of the program.

I still feel a Statewide League with Lauderdale being included in place of New Norfolk is ridiculous and trying to bring it back next season is far too soon.
Should be ushered in 2010 and no earlier, get rid of the cancerous blight on Tasmanian football resources that the Devils are, and remove most of the flotsom & jetsom at AFL Tasmania also while we're at it.

The Northern and Coastal Clubs are sick of turning up to some grounds and getting a 150-200 and above victory. In the NTFL at the moment there are 3 very good sides (Launceston, Burnie and Ulverstone), 4 very ordinary sides (Devonport, Penguin, Easts and Wynyard) and 4 in between.

As for the Devils, there looks to be no committment made until late September. They wont comment until after the State League deadline of September 23.

 

[Kingpin]

Well quite a bit's changed since that last post with the Statewide League looming to be operating by next year.
North Hobart and Hobart have supported the idea of joining the League and it is 'expected' that the remaining clubs targeted will also sign on.
Talk around Hobart is that the Devils are finished - this weekend's match against the Box Hill Hawks at Bellerive to be their final game in their eight-season history.
The way some representatives of the media (most notably ABC Television and ABC Radio) have been carrying on this weekend in regards to the probable axing of the Devils has been ridiculous and over-emotive.

The Northern and Coastal Clubs are sick of turning up to some grounds and getting a 150-200 and above victory. In the NTFL at the moment there are 3 very good sides (Launceston, Burnie and Ulverstone), 4 very ordinary sides (Devonport, Penguin, Easts and Wynyard) and 4 in between.

Yes true. The Penguin's, Wynyard's and East Devonport's of the NTFL are unfortunately never going to be good enough to compete with the power clubs of the North & North West and have been uncompetitive sadly for a very long time.
The story, which supports your statement, that has been quite widely circulating down this way in footy circles is that the reason the Northern clubs (IE: Launceston clubs in particular) were so adamant about going Statewide (as opposed to their complete opposition to it from 1975-1986) was that they were sick of travelling to Wynyard, Penguin, Smithton, East Devonport, Latrobe etc so often to play in such uncompetitive or meaningless matches.
Which is probably why they are pro-Statewide these days compared to back then when we had the old NTFA in the North, NWFU on the Coast and TANFL down South.
The NTFL is currently too big, too cumbersome and too far-flung while the SFL Premier League in Hobart just has a mediocre image that it can't shake.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I'm somewhat surprised about the northern clubs falling into line so easily on statewide. Especially launceston and South, both of whom bore the brunt of mismanagement (at club and league level) of the old one. And neither of whom have a ground that should be allowed in an "elite" league.
I also suspect - purely a suspicion, no evidence or inside word - that the Mercury has been slightly misrepresenting the nature of northern clubs; probably due to being fed a line from AFL Tas rather than actually speaking to anyone at a northern club.

Too many teams (ideally 6 to keep the standard and affordability reasonable, but demographics demand 8; rather than this 10 growing to 12 thing Wade and co are sputing), and its all far too rushed, but scrapping the Devils and getting a state league operating again is an absolute must for Tasmanian football.
I suspect the 2nd SWL will fare little better than the first, simply because its being done with no planning. Although at last this time there won't be the false hope that caused so many problems in the first effort. (North Hobart; especially; saw the increase in the first couple of years and overspent, causing problems when support dropped off again.)