It’s already been an unforgettable, landmark year for Tasmanian footy.
It’s about to get even better.
Six months after the AFL officially awarded its 19th team licence to Tasmania after decades of tireless campaigning, the state seems destined to produce one of its deepest and most talented classes in the AFL draft era.
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As many as four players from the Apple Isle could be taken in the first round of the national draft: Colby McKercher, Ryley Sanders, James Leake and Arie Schoenmaker. The first three could all be taken in the top 10, depending on live club trade movement on the night.
At least another three Tasmanians are then considered good chances to find their way onto an AFL list, with Jack Callinan, Geordie Payne and Heath Ollington all in the mix to be picked up either late in the national draft or as rookies. Launceston’s Tom Beaumont also can’t be ruled out.
The only year where Tassie has had seven players drafted onto an AFL list was in 2013 – a class that produced Kade and Jake Kolodjashnij (premiership Cat), Toby Nankervis (triple premiership Tiger and club co-captain) and Alex Pearce (Fremantle captain). And three Tasmanians have never been drafted in the top 10 in the same draft.
It comes after the Tasmania Devils Under 18s team pulled off another terrific Coates Talent League campaign, finishing in the top two at home and away season’s end then going deep into finals for the second consecutive season.
“It’s been a wicked year … the whole feeling around Tasmanian football at the moment is one of excitement,” Leake told foxfooty.com.au.
Schoenmaker added: “It was an unbelievable side – and we had just as good a side as last year. People talk about the AFL team coming in for 2028, but I don’t think people realise how much talent is coming out of Tassie now.”
Between 2016 and 2021, only eight Tasmanian players were drafted.
So the star-studded 2023 crop is a timely, much-needed boost for the state.
“It’s been pretty lean the last few years – and even the boys that have been getting drafted have probably been going a bit later,” Sanders told foxfooty.com.au.
“So to give younger Tassie kids coming through confidence around working hard, doing the right things and being committed, you can go top five, top 10, first round. I think it’s really cool what we’ve been able to create and give that confidence boost to them that they can actually do it.”
SUCCESS IN TOUGH CIRc*msTANCES
What makes the Devils’ 2023 achievements in the Coates Talent League so remarkable is that they barely trained together as a full squad for the entire year.
Coach Jeromey Webberley – who was heavily credited by all five Tassie players spoken to by foxfooty.com.au for the state’s recent footy success – reckons there were only four whole-squad training sessions for the entire year.
Yet they were one win away from making a grand final.
“I know individual talent is obviously extremely important – and we had a lot of it this year. But we played very much to a system,” Webberley told foxfooty.com.au. “And the way the players bought into that system and went about playing, one for the jumper and with the Tasmanian characteristics, but also just how they connected as a group and played for each other – I thought that was outstanding.”
Webberley, who was drafted out Clarence by Richmond with Pick 67 in the 2009 national draft, loves his job. As well as coaching the Devils, he doubles as the state’s talent pathways manager.
But logistically, it’s a tough gig.
Based at Blundstone Arena in Hobart, Webberley has been able to quickly drive to see just under half of his Devils-listed players. But a significant portion of this year’s list is based around Launceston – a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of Blundstone Arena – while another six players are from the Devonport/Ulverstone area, which is another 90-minute drive north-west of UTAS Stadium. And sneaky national draft prospect Payne – the Devils’ 2023 best and fairest winner – is from Wynyard, which is another 45 minutes west of Ulverstone by car.
“We’ve got boys who are almost five hours away from where I live,” Clarence’s Jack Callinan told foxfooty.com.au. “It’s not easiest thing to getting around and control and maintain.”
Yet Webberley found a way to not only unite the playing group, but also get them playing at such a high standard.
“It’s quite challenging, especially when you’re travelling,” Webberley said. “We might leave Friday and then get home late Saturday night. Then we’ve got two training sessions on a Monday and Wednesday.”
Webberley said he’d been “heavily reliant” on AFL Tasmania staff on the ground, particularly in Launceston and in the north-west, such as Mav Weller, Darren Crawford, Jamie Hayward and Nathan Warren.
It’s coaching delegation on the next level, but Webberley said he had complete trust in his troops.
“They do an outstanding job of really selling my message and how we want to go about it. They’ve got a really clear description of what we want and how things work and how I like things to work,” he said.
“It took me a while to set that up, but to be honest, they’re the guys I utilise the most to drip-feed what we need through their regions. I’m incredibly lucky to have really good coaches and really good talent managers in those regions to make things work and make my job a hell of a lot easier.”
INTEGRAL INFLUENCE OF ‘SUPER COACH’
For the players at the top of this year’s Tassie crop, Webberley has been one of the most influential figures in their respective journeys.
Schoenmaker said Webberley had been “an absolute rock for me”, while McKercher said the coach “gives me the licence to be myself – as he does with everyone”.
“Playing under him has been so special,” McKercher said.
“He’s just such a good people person, creates good relationships.
“It’s not only the football stuff that I’m really close with him about. We’ll just have a chat during the week about anything like golf or what’s going on in his world.
“He’s a really good figure I’ve been looking up to for the last two years. I felt as if the way that he’s created that relationship and trust with me has just made me feel at ease when I go out on the field.”
Callinan’s relationship with Webberley is particularly strong. Webberley has not only played for Callinan’s local club Clarence, but also coached there. In fact, he coached Callinan’s dad – Ian Callinan, the mature-age draftee who played 49 games for the Adelaide Crows – when the family returned to Tasmania in 2015.
“It is a bit of a full circle,” Callinan said with a smile.
“He’s a great man and he’s done a lot for me over my footy journey so far.
“It is difficult with players four and a half hours away up in Devonport and Burnie, but he finds a way to maintain those relationships and something that he’s really good at.”
Leake said the relationships Webberley creates and builds with all his players gives them “the belief in themselves and want to try their best for him”.
“He’s been a super coach. Since he’s come in, the Devils have had more success than what they normally have, so it’s a huge credit to him in the program that he runs,” Leake said.
“He’s just an awesome person.”
Humbled by the players’ feedback, Webberley said bonding with players and staff was one of his biggest strengths.
“I feel like I can connect with people and bring people along for the ride,” he said.
“I’m also extremely open to different ideas and change and people thinking outside the square. My comms to the regions is: ‘I don’t know everything, but this is what I want it to sort of look like and I’m open to suggestions.’
“It’s delegation no doubt, but there’s got to be an ownership around that delegation and they’ve got to feel like they’re part of what we’re trying to do. It’s not a dictatorship.
“I’m extremely lucky for the people who I’ve got beside me to be honest and working in the right direction.”
SIMPLE THEME THAT UNITED DEVILS
While building bonds one-on-one at different levels has been crucial for Webberley, one theme has united the entire playing group: Play for the map.
“The thing we’ve got in our favour is that we represent a state and we have that ‘us v them’ mentality. We speak a lot about the Tasmanian characteristics and what it is to be a Tasmanian in the football landscape – and the map on the front of our chest every week, we do a lot of work around that and we really tie how we want to play and how we want to go at it game day
“I say to the players all the time ‘it looks like a Tasmanian game today’. We’ve got a real clear DNA on how we want to go about things.”
“We were really connected last year and the boys that have come through this year have taken that a step further this year and created a really good platform for the next wave of guys coming through.
Webberley credits the attitude of the playing group – particularly the leadership group – for buying into the team ethos.
For McKercher, it was a pitch too good to refuse.
“There’s just a lot of passion,” he said. “We have some really good talent and we also have some really good role players that slave away for the team. You can just see the way we play how much we care and ‘play for the map’.
“We really hold the map with pride and I guess it flows through to our footy where we always have a bit of grit. We’ve had so many comeback wins and really brave wins in the second half this year – and I think it comes from that grit and want to win and our passion for our families that come from back home.”
AFL 2028In a few years’ time, the map theme and us-against-them mentality could be on display at AFL level, with a Tasmanian-based team booked to enter the competition in 2028.
While there’s still some conjecture over the set up of the new Macquarie Point stadium – an integral part of the Tassie AFL team process – plans continue to forge ahead around the league’s newest expansion club.
The Tasmanian club’s inaugural nine-person board of directors, which includes triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch, was unveiled in September, while a crucial survey that will shape the club’s design and name closes in November. Richmond legend Jack Riewoldt has been appointed to lead a community consultation project dubbed ‘The Fabric’.
Schoenmaker said the vibe around Tassie footy has “definitely risen around the place” this year – “you’re driving around and you see stickers on cars with the map” – while McKercher said Tasmanian people were “so much more invested in what’s going on at the moment and it’s really growing as a football state”.
Leake, in particular, has followed the developments around the AFL’s 19th team closely this year.
“With a new team coming in – obviously it hasn’t run as smoothly as we would like over the last few months, been a bit of debate – but I think if we can just get together and get that going, I think it sets up a really good platform for future generations of kids to have something to strive towards,” he said.
“It makes that feeling of playing AFL football a little bit more real knowing that it’s sort of right there in Tasmania.
“Being a Tasmanian, that’s something that you can never take away from someone. So seeing a successful Tasmanian team that’s up and running would be super and awesome for the state and I think it’d make a lot of Tasmanians very happy. With the expansion clubs that came in around 2010 and 2011, that’s probably developed football in those states a lot – and maybe the same thing could happen in Tasmania, if it’s set up with the right foundation. I’d love to see it succeed.”
DRAFT ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Considering this year’s Tasmanian draft crop is the strongest in many seasons – perhaps ever – as well as the prospect of a Tassie AFL team entering the competition in five years time, you would assume the 18 clubs would be hesitant to use early draft picks on Apple Isle prospects this week.
After all, most players aren’t thinking five years into the future, but clubs could well be.
“It’s been interesting to look at,” Leake said. “I can understand their questions and queries about it, because obviously a bunch of Tasmanians there maybe is that added risk.
“But the way I look at it, it’s no different to an interstate club drafting a Melbourne boy with that go-home factor to Melbourne.
“For me personally, it’s always been a reality that if I wanted to play AFL football, I’d have to move away at some point. I’m quite a loyal person and I’d like to think that if a club was willing to draft me, I’d like to repay the faith in them and have a good, successful career at that particular club.”
Schoenmaker had a similar attitude to Leake.
“Clubs ask questions, but I feel like for me and for a lot of the Tassie boys coming out of this year, we look forward to moving away and starting something new,” he said.
“We’ve lived all our life in Tassie. If a club gives us a chance, which we’re hopeful for, I feel myself I’ll repay that and I’d like to stay there and repay. They’re obviously investing in me as a player and I feel like I’d like to start a new chapter and move away.”
A candid Callinan added: “The lure to play for the team is something that’s going to be there and you can’t hide from it, so you’ve got to face up to it I guess.”
While Webberley can understand AFL clubs probing this year’s crop about the lure of representing their state later this decade, he said there was further incentive for young Tasmanian footballers to aim high
“If it does continue down the path it’s going now, we’re going to be able to provide Tasmanians, both boys and girls that have aspirations to play at the highest level, a pathway for them to remain in their state and play for the state they love and play in front of their friends and family,” he said.
“All of our kids have got aspirations and they’ve always been open to moving to the mainland – be that to further their footy in the AFL or build a career somewhere else – but it’d be fantastic to have a pathway and clear direction for both boys and girls to reach their aspirations.”
A big haul of Tassie draftees this week would truly cap off a special year.
JEROMEY WEBBERLEY ON …
Launceston midfielder Colby McKercher
“No one ever doubted Colby McKercher’s on-field talent, but the one thing I’ve been extremely impressed about with Colby this year is his growth as a person, his maturity. I feel like he’s really comfortable in his own skin this year.
“His consistency across the course of the year was outstanding – and when I say consistency, like it’s consistency at a top-end level. He’s set himself up extremely well this year and over the last 24 months, he’s made improvement on his game.
“He’s obviously going to get an opportunity at an AFL club and he’s going to be a valuable asset for whichever club selects him.”
North Launceston ball magnet Ryley Sanders
“He’s a great young adult, as professional as they come and also down to earth and genuine. He’ll often send me texts after Tassie have a win or there’s a good news story in Tassie. I think he connects really well with our players and still has really strong friendships down here. When he’s back from school holidays or over the pre-season, he comes and trains with the Devils. All my dealings with Ryley have been fantastic.
“He hasn’t been with us for 24 months, but in some ways he still feels a little bit a part of our program over the time.”
Launceston utility James Leake
“James has had an outstanding season. He was in our program 24 months ago and at Christmas time he had a fair bit of cricket and other stuff going on, so he stepped away. But credit to Mitch Thorp who after a few weeks at Launceston in the Under 18s, Mitch identified his talent, started playing him at senior footy level and he played in that Launceston TSL premiership last season. He’s come back into the fold with us and hasn’t put a foot wrong. I think James is a coach’s dream because wherever you put him, you get instant impact – and it’s because of the foundation of his game. It’s built off contest, the want to compete and his defensive efforts. He’s one of those guys. especially through the back-end of the year, that I just started to throw anywhere when I needed the impact. He’s got great flexibility within his game. He’s come from the clouds as such … but he’s also built throughout the year. If you look at his games at the start of the year, I think he’s improved a hell of a lot over the course of the last six months.
Launceston running tall defender Arie Schoenmaker
“Full credit to Arie. Arie’s the person that made the mistake, he’s gone away, learned from that mistake, he’s put some things in place to help him and done the work. I think that time that he spent with Launceston really helped him, got himself back in line and he’s had an outstanding year.
“He’s been extremely consistent with his performance. The one thing I did love about Arie’s game was I thought he won us the first final. We threw him into the rock when we were a little bit down and out and we just needed something – and he turned the game. I think he’s grown as a person, but also I think his footy has got a hell of a lot better as well over the course of the last six months.
“He’s got huge offensive talent, there’s no doubt about that … Everyone knows about his kicking, but if he can intercept the ball centre forward, he becomes an extremely valuable weapon. Not that he’s not an extremely valuable weapon when he intercepts across half-back, but I think when he gets the ball centre-forward is when you see the best Arie.
“I think he’s the best kick I’ve ever seen. He’s going to be a real weapon at AFL level.”
Tassie’s “irons in the fire” – Jack Callinan, Georgie Payne, Heath Ollington and Tom Beaumont – ahead of this year’s drafts
“It’d be great to get five or six read out/ I think the greatest thing for this group is that if they’re lucky enough to get drafted or rookied, fantastic, but the one thing they should be extremely proud is their last 24 months and setting the foundation for our Under 18 group to continue on.
“Hopefully they get read out and live their AFL dream. But if that’s not to be the case, I’m sure they’re going to be fantastic leaders.”
