Is there enough talent to field 19 AFL teams?
With Tasmania set to enter the competition in 2028, the competition's player pool is set to expand to fill the club’s 36 to 38 primary players list.
With precedent set by GWS and the Gold Coast Suns, Tasmania will have plenty of opportunities to recruit well in lieu of their debut season.
While plenty of AFL-ready talent exists, the transition from junior football into the AFL system takes time, as seen with the slow start from the Suns and Giants over their introduction.
In attempt to better ready the next generation of potential players, former Adelaide premiership captain Mark Bickley has presented a concept that will assist the move from youth competition into the senior level.
“Can our competition sustain 19 clubs; I firmly believe there is enough talent”, Bickley told SEN’s Crunch Time.
“Could you trial something where, for the next three years you increase the list size for each club by one each year, and so by the time Tasmania starts, every list has got three extra players on that list.
“You’ve got young people, high performance training, developing, then when Tasmania come in, you have 25 players who you put on the ‘you cannot touch’ list, and Tassie can choose from the three extra players that every club has had access to.
“That gives them a little bit more mature talent as opposed to what you started with at GWS where you just had 20 17 or 18-year olds who took three years to grow into themselves.
“Get them used to what the AFL demands are. If you want more AFL footballers, you train them.
“There are kids that are super talented that are crying out to be in an AFL system.
“Give them that opportunity, you can then somehow funnel them into Tassie to give them a bit of a leg up at the start.”
SEN’s Gerard Whateley was also on board with the concept.
“That is such a good idea”, he said.
“You should be in at headquarters.”
Bickley's proposal would see a further 54 players training on an AFL list over the course of three seasons, running them within the elite system to ensure a smoother transition into the top level.