AFL Tasmania CEO Trisha Squires says she has no idea what’s best for Tasmanian football and believes talk of the state featuring a full-time AFL team is a “distraction”.
In a startling admission, Squires, who was appointed two weeks ago by league boss Gillon McLachlan, was anything but upbeat when asked about the possibility of an AFL team in the Apple Isle.
“This conversation (about a team in Tassie) does happen a lot, as you can imagine, and people do talk about it and I think it actually distracts us from the great things we have in regards to football,” she told SEN Afternoons.
“I’m an advocate for what’s best for Tasmanian football and I can’t tell you right now what that is.
“What I know is we want as much football content in the state.”
As the state deals with a footballing crisis that has seen a number of long-standing clubs pull out of various competition’s in recent years, spotlight is on the rebuild and how that structure will work.
Asked if she preferred a full-time AFL team to the current set-up that features Hawthorn and North Melbourne playing a handful of games, Squires replied:
“No, I don’t,” she said.
Squires said use of the word crisis was not a track she was walking.
“I don’t like to use the word crisis,” she said.