Premiership coach Alastair Clarkson says the AFL needs to avoid the “mistakes” made when implementing the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney to the competition and give Tasmania “five or six years” to develop the right pathways.
The AFL and club presidents will sit down in March 2022 to discuss the possibility of a 19th AFL licence for Tasmania, after the Carter report was released earlier this year which agreed that the state deserves its own side.
Clarkson has been a key figure in Tasmanian footy over more than a decade through the Hawks’ affiliation with the state.
The 53-year-old left Hawthorn at the end of the club’s 2021 season, giving new coach Sam Mitchell some fresh air to perform.
As one of the best-placed people to comment on Tasmania’s pitch for an AFL side, Clarkson believes the AFL must learn from past mistakes.
“My view is they need to establish that Tasmania will have a team, give them a license, but say ‘okay, you’ve got five to six years to prepare’,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“I think one of the mistakes that was made with Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, they came into the competition pretty hastily, it was a two to three year window to prepare for those clubs.
“I think Tasmania needs five to six years and needs to get their pathways right.
“I don’t think there will be a club in the competition that will vote for (a 19th licence) to come in if there’s going to be significantly compromised drafts to allow the talent to get to the Tasmanian side.”
However, the four-time Premiership coach believes those from the Apple Isle should get their own side, describing it as a “footy heartland down there”.
“You need five or six years to build up the pathways programs, get the 13 or 14-year-old kids now who can be playing by the time they get to 18 years old,” Clarkson said.
“That list will have to be made up mainly of Tasmanian people, but they’ll have to have some people from the mainland no doubt.
“It’s a footy heartland down there, but they just need the motivation and captivation of the Tasmanian market to give them a pathway and give them a sense of where they can go with their footy.”
Clarkson also revealed he’d consider taking a role next year to assist with the initial development of a Tasmanian team.
“If I’m here (in Australia), I’ve already had some preliminary discussions (about a role supporting delivering a Tasmanian team),” he said.
“James Henderson is my manager and he’s heavily involved in the Tasmanian taskforce, so I’ve already done a few things with them, he’s bounced some ideas off me.
“I’ve gone down to Tasmania many, many times over the last 17 years to coach the Hawks, we’ve got a really good affinity with everything to do with Tasmania.”
Tasmania hosted its first two finals in history in 2021 to assist the AFL in delivering crowds, increasing the AFL momentum in the small state.