Hawthorn’s exit out of Tasmania has been a long time coming but the club’s response, as push came to shove on Tuesday, has raised eyebrows throughout the AFL industry.
The AFL has officially forced the end of Hawthorn’s 25-year relationship with Launceston and Northern Tasmania post 2027, as the league prepares to welcome the Tasmania Devils into the competition.
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Hawthorn issued a statement today (Tuesday), expressing their disappointment. They have also asked for financial compensation with the decision set to pinch the club’s bottom line (thought to be around $5 million a year).
“They cannot be surprised by this,” veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters on Tuesday night.
“The president signed off on a one-team state in 2023 when the heads of agreement happened. And Hawthorn have been fighting the good fight. I’m not sure why, except for the obvious (financial benefit), well, it’s obvious why they’ve been fighting.
“(But) I don’t know how they didn’t see this coming.
“Even the government in recent weeks has made it clear they wouldn’t be continuing the sponsorship agreement (with Hawthorn) because they’re going to be giving $12 million a year to the new Tasmanian team, the full-time Tasmanian team.”
Wilson said Hawthorn’s lingering presence in Tasmania had started to divide the state and AFL chiefs had no choice but to cut the cord.
“I’m told that the new commission were a bit surprised this call hadn’t been made last year,” Wilson said.
“(Devils CEO) Brendon Gale first asked for this to happen at the start of last year when he started at the club.
“In the end, the view of the commission, and they met last week, was Hawthorn play at the MCG, and they get 60,000, 70,000, 80,000 people. So the AFL are trying to get bigger attendances across the competition.
“When Tasmania play at UTAS, they’re going to not just have teams like Melbourne and North Melbourne and Adelaide and Gold Coast — no offence to those teams. But they’re going to have Collingwood, and they’re going to have Geelong, and they’re going to have Essendon when they’re hopefully good again one day.
“So for the bottom line of the stadium and for the state, it’s going to be double the commercial benefit. There are going to be bigger games, and the stadium is going to be fuller.”
However, when the Devils join the AFL in 2028, they will still play games at the University of Tasmania in Launceston.
“There’ll be at least four (in Launceston), which is what there is at the moment. That’s absolutely what’s going to happen in the first instance, for at least the first three or four years, there’ll be seven games at UTAS at an absolute minimum,” Wilson said.
“And I’m surprised that Hawthorn is so surprised …. But what I also think is that they should have had a plan B. And they should also have a sponsorship plan B.”
Wilson said the MCG was Hawthorn’s “main plan” for the moment, but they would also ask the AFL for financial compensation.
Hawthorn’s AFLW team plays in Cairns so that could also be an option, but Hawks president Andy Gowers said that was not on the club’s radar at the moment.
“There will definitely be a push from Hawthorn to the AFL for financial compensation,” Wilson said.
“The other clubs have raised their eyebrows at this because Hawthorn have done very well out of Tasmania. But I think the AFL will acknowledge the 8000 members and all the work Hawthorn have done there over 25 years.”
Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge said it was understandable his club was disappointed given the work it had put into Tasmania.
“They’re disappointed not just because they have a good record down there, but it’s also 25 years of Hawthorn putting time and effort in (the area),” Hodge said.
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“Yes, Hawthorn did well financially out of them, but they’ve given a lot back to Launceston, given a lot back to Tasmania. So, now in their eyes, it’s almost 25 years of build-up to be wasted, because the AFL now says go and find another major sponsor.”
Dale Thomas said Hawthorn would build a relationship “somewhere else for $5 million”, while Wilson noted that draft numbers out of Tasmania had been in decline since Hawthorn was there.
Wilson accepted that those declining draft numbers were not because of Hawthorn, but she said a Tasmanian AFL team would certainly help the growth of the game in the Apple Isle and more kids from the state would be inspired to to play AFL and AFLW football.
