With Tasmania's entry into the VFL and VFLW confirmed for 2026 - what will the state's aspirational players do next season?
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That is one of several questions that have been on the mind of Tasmania's invested football community following the news of the Tasmanian State League's disbandment and the delayed VFL entry.
An answer is coming soon according to Head of AFL Tasmania Damian Gill.
"We continue to work on finalising a plan for senior football in 2025 and what will be in place for our aspirational men and women as part of the journey towards the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL and AFLW competition," he said.
"More will be shared on that soon including that path towards VFL and VFLW in 2026. We're pretty pleased with how things are going and we're excited to share more.
"We think we have something that will be really fulfilling for aspirational players, both men and women in 2025 as we step towards VFL and VFLW in 2026."
Gill and AFL Tasmania are hoping this will keep top-level Tasmanian players in the state despite the absence of a statewide competition.
They are hopeful of "arresting the trend" of players leaving the state - with plenty of TSL graduates playing elsewhere.
"Players have been leaving our state and they have been going elsewhere to ply their trade, whether it's the VFLW or whether it's the SANFL from a men's point of view - we've got so many talented players elsewhere," Gill said.
"What we are looking to do and put in place is building blocks to arrest that trend. We've got some ideas and we look forward to sharing more on that soon enough."
The SANFL has a strong Apple Isle representation with the likes of Ben Simpson, Jackson Callow, Tom Donnelly, Baynen Lowe and Alec Wright playing just for Norwood.
All of those players would have been strong contenders to play for Tasmania in their representative clashes against Queensland and NSW/ACT.
Gill was there as the state's men came away 46-point winners in Queensland.
"Our men just put on a show, they were so well-drilled, they were so slick, it was fast footy," he said.
"It was pretty amazing stuff, particularly that first quarter, which I'm not shocked about, [we've got a] good group, good program and they really prepared themselves well.
"The thing that I think we are the envy of Queensland, and many said it to me on the weekend, is we get serious buy-in when we bring that map out.
"People want to play for it, they grow a foot taller, they find that little bit extra, whereas Queensland are still working towards that."
Discussing the women's result, he described Queensland as the yardstick for women's programs nationally.
"Our women had a really good look at where the standard is and I think that's a healthy thing." he said.
"They'll pick themselves up, dust themselves off and I was really impressed with how they applied themselves.
"They could have easily rolled over but they actually fought back and made a game of it.
"They can build off that now as they look to take on Sydney/Canberra."
Despite the weekend's success, Gill was unable to confirm whether representative football will return in 2025 - pointing to the upcoming announcements which will address that.
Josh Partridge
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
