Geelong captain and AFL Players’ Association president Patrick Dangerfield believes the incoming Tasmanian AFL team should be able to recruit contracted players from the rest of the competition to ensure its list is built “properly”.
To ensure a seamless transition to 19 teams, Dangerfield said Tasmania must field a team of players who “want to be there”.
Therefore, Tasmania’s administration should be able to acquire players from every club, regardless of whether they are contracted.
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The Tasmanian team will reportedly boast $1 million in signing bonuses outside the salary cap, as well as priority picks over three drafts.
On top of any draft concessions, Dangerfield feels anyone who wants to play for Tasmania should be able to do so, dismissing the challenge of luring players south.
“My view is that the Tasmanian team should have access to contracted players – one from every club regardless of contract. If they choose to join Tasmania, then they should be able to do that,” Dangerfield told SEN Mornings.
“Whether there’s a mechanism for reimbursement to those clubs, I’m not really sure.
“I think if we’re going to do this and do this properly, Tasmania should have access to not only the best talent but the best possible people in order to create something that’s truly unique and truly special, and quite clearly, generating a really strong culture is part of that.
“So I think having the ability to choose whoever you like, regardless of contract status, would be a really important part of that.”
Taking into account the league’s previous track record with launching expansion teams, Dangerfield argued that Tasmania should have more options than to blood draftees or run declining off-contract players.
“I think that’s where your targeted recruiting is important,” Dangerfield said.
“And that’s where if you had the ability to recruit players in contract, then you’re not left with just who’s out of contract and they may like it, and you know what, we’re just gonna pay him and that will force them to like it or not, we’re not going to do that.
“We’re going to make sure that we’re targeting these guys because they love the idea of it. And that way we can manage the cap as well so you’re not overpaying.
“Quite clearly there’s been a challenge for GWS and the Suns at different stages throughout their introduction to the AFL.”
Dangerfield also trusts that the AFL does not need to expand its player base even with the competition growing.
“I think you probably keep it the same (the overall number of AFL players),” he said.
“What you might do is reduce (list sizes) from every club in order to try and maintain that talent pool … it can get shallow towards the end.
“I think it probably makes sense, but then you’ve got to look at the levers of players being able to come from the SANFL, from the WAFL, from the VFL from the clubs that you are aligned to in that second-tier competition.
“There are huge opportunities to look at the way that the game is structured currently.”
The Tasmanian team will enter the AFL in 2028.
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