"A sad day for Tassie": Hammer blow to Devils AFL future

• Tasmania will go back to the polls
• Devils are overwhelmed by uncertainty
• Politicians are accused of "killing the club"
• AFL is yet to comment

SEN Tassie Breakfast held a "Devils in Despair" special focusing on the future of the club and the political turmoil threatening its future, hosted by Brent Costelloe and David Lithgow.

A no-confidence motion filed against Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff threatened the state's AFL dream due to his backing of the controversial Macquarie Point stadium build.

Opposition leader Dean Winter took a stand against Rockliff due to financial mismanagement, leaving the Devils at “serious risk for jobs, investment and growth”.

Today (Thursday) speaker Michelle O’Byrne had the opportunity to end the uncertainty and vote against the no-confidence motion.

Instead she made the casting vote with numbers locked at 17-17, and, as expected, voted with her party meaning it’s passed and the state will go back to the polls for the second time in a year. A hammer blow to the AFL club hopes.

A very emotional Premier said: “This is a very sad day for Tasmania.”

Speaking shortly after the vote, Costelloe said: "(We're) straight to an election by all reports. The casting vote was made by O’Byrne.

"Rockcliff was just very emotional speaking on the floor of parliament and it’s a second election in a year."

Asked what it mean for the future of AFL in the state, he added: "That’s the million-dollar question at the moment, even the chair of the club doesn’t know.

"What we do know is Tasmania wants a AFL team (but) there’s a real division in parliament about this stadium being built.

"To be built parliament has to approve it.

"We do know is there will be a significant delay if we are going back to the polls. A lot has to play out but no one knows the end game.

"The Labour party didn’t support it (stadium) at all until after the last election.

"The team itself has bipartisan support.

"The other crucial part is the independents, the majority of those are against the stadium and they will be crucial in forming the next government.

"I think the deadline at least will be pushed out for Tasmania to enter the AFL."

2:05pm

Collingwood veteran and proud Tasmanian Jeremy Howe has spoken of his heartache for what is going on in his home state.

“I think it would rip the heart out of the state if it doesn’t go forward,” he said on Triple M.

“The carrot has been there dangling for decades and then all of a sudden it’s in reaching distance and everyone has become attached to it.

“Politics is an interesting one, I don’t take a lot of it in but when it comes to something like this, I start taking notice.

“Everyone’s talking about it, there’s a genuine excitement about it. If it doesn’t get done, I fear for what the state might look like.”

One person that can end Tassie madness

Former Tasmania premier Peter Gutwein took aim at Winter's action this morning saying he had lit a fuse on a potentially "catastrophic bomb" which will not only impact the footy dream but also the economy and reputation of the entire state.

"This fuse Winter has lit, if the bomb goes off it will have catastrophic pathways," he said.

"It will create enormous uncertainty across the economy. This isn’t just about football. The uncertainty impacts investment, that impacts jobs, it it potentially catastrophic.

"The ramifications are wider that football. To be frank Tasmania at the moment is the laughingstock.

"What he’s done has created significant challenges for the state."

Gutwein went on to explain that one person had the power to make all of the uncertainty disappear as early as today.

That person is the speaker of the house Michelle O'Byrne.

“She might take the coward's way out and step down and cast her vote on the floor and they install the deputy speaker but she needs to have the courage to stay in the chair and vote for or against," Gutwein explained.

“As the speaker of the house she should end this madness this morning.

“She could make the decision that she wont support this motion and vote it down. All roads lead to her."

The AFL is yet to comment on the latest roadblock to the club.

Below is how this morning's Tassie special played out on air.

9:01am

For those as politically uneducated as me, this is very interesting from Gutwein.

The Devils future and the reputation of Tasmania can actually be resolved today by one woman.

All eyes (and no pressure) on Michelle O'Byrne, the speaker of the house in Tassie.

“Nobody is talking about this: all roads of this vote lead to the speaker of the house,” Gutwein explained.

“She might take the cowards way out and step down and cast her vote on the floor and they install the deputy speaker but she needs to have the courage to stay in the chair and vote for or against.

“As the speaker of the house she should end this madness this morning.

“She could make the decision that she wont support this motion and vote it down. All roads lead to her.

“Any one of those 10 Labor members can look at this and say I’m going to cross the floor.

“I hope she uses common sense and says this has to stop. At the end of the day her vote counts. She can cast against this motion, so Rockliff remains Premier and this ends, we get on with business.

“If this bomb goes off today it irreparably damages our hopes of football.”

8:40am

Some sobering news and opinion from former Tassie premier Peter Gutwein who has spoken of a catastrophic bomb that is about to decimate Tasmania - not just in football terms but economical and reputational.

"The ramifications are wider that football," he said. "To be frank Tasmania at the moment is the laughingstock.

"What he’s done has created significant challenges for the state.

"Dean Winter and whoever is advising him thought this would be good to call out the premier. The fuse he has lit in putting the motion before parliament he has created a bomb that’s about to go off.

"If Rockliff’s removed the next liberal premier cant be guaranteed the support from the independent. Option 1 new liberal premier installed, option 2 Rockliff calls an election.

"The governor could push it back into parliament. We circle back to the election. Dean Winter will know that if an election is called now the stadium bill will not get voted on and things will be dissolved.

"We’re marching towards a situation that could be catastrophic not just for football but for Tasmania.

"This fuse Winter has lit, if the bomb goes off it will have catastrophic pathways. It will create enormous uncertainty across the economy. This isn’t just about football. The uncertainty impacts investment, that impacts jobs, it it potentially catastrophic."

8:20am

Channel 7 Sports Commentator Alister Nicholson has just joined the show and made a passionate plea to the AFL to come out with a strong statement of support.

"What I would like to hear from the AFL is a statement outlining the strong desire to have a team in Tasmania and that the competition isn’t compete without one.

"I think they support it and I’d like not see them come out in support of it as opposed to ultimatums about delivery. I have full confidence in them. It wouldn’t have got off the ground without Gillon and Goyder who took it seriously.

"It is in part on them to make this happen as much as it is Tasmanians."

Asked if he thought Andrew Dillon could pull the pin on the entire project, Nicholson was adamant that this latest setback would only present a delay to things.

"I can’t (see Dillon pulling the pin) and that would live with his legacy, I have full faith in Andrew Dillon. He is community minded and he understands the AFL’s obligation to the game.

"What damage does it do to extend the timeline to ensure the stadium gets built?

"He’s too invested in this Andrew Dillon, he will work in step with the club and the government to ensure this does happen.

"There has been too much work and pain, people have so much skin in the game. Kath McKann getting emotional really summed it up to me. People really care about this team.

"We’re not going to sit here and let it fall over. Anyone that supports this team, have your say, this is a critical time."

8:03am

Former Richmond champion Jack Riewoldt who has been working with the Devils on an advidsory basis is wary of the political threat.

"It's critically important for us to exist," he said of the stadium.

"I think it'd be a big opportunity lost. These things don't come around very often, and who's to say this comes around again."

7:40am

Brent and David have just spoken with Grant O'Brien, Tasmanian Devils Chairman, who explained how unnerving the uncertainty is.

"Uncertainty happens if we go to an election.

"Whether or not it happens, it’s their job not our job.

"Uncertainty is not our friend.

“This is an important junction and we’ve had others and we will have them in our future.

“We can all see it (the start of the club) that’s what makes this more frustrating.”

O'Brien said he has spoken to Andrew Dillon and added that the AFL holding out for the stadium is not unreasonable, it's in accordance with what will make this club economically viable.

7:10am

SEN Tassie's Brent Costelloe fears for what is to come.

"I've been so positive and I hope we do find a way but At the moment with what's happening on the floor in parliament, I can't see the roadmap out (the Devils happening).

"At the moment it doesn't add up.

"Labour comes out with that statement yesterday but mate you're killing our team, you're killing our team as we speak."

Lithgow remains a little more optimistic:

"Dillon is going to come out and say it's over? Is he going to do that? Is he going to burn 227k members. We know we need a stadium but I cant be convinced he's going to do that.

"Has the labour party done a commitment? What's your end game here, Dean?"

6:42am

Gale has a positive outlook amid all the turmoil.

“As far as we’re concerned it’s business as usual. We’re getting on with the business with building an organisation and building teams,” Gale said on Fox Footy’s AFL360 on Wednesday night.

“Clearly our existence is conditional upon the delivery of a stadium based on an agreement between the AFL and state government.

“That process will run its course and that hasn’t changed. There’s some uncertainty around leadership and the composition of parliament, but that really hasn’t changed.

“We’ve got to get on with the job and control things we can control.

“There’s some uncertainty at the moment, but we’re very, very optimistic about the future.

“At the end of the day the arrangements and undertakings is between the AFL and government of Tasmania. That won’t change.”

Tassie Breakfast with Tim Paine & Brent Costelloe – Mondays and Fridays 7am – 9am on SEN Tassie - 1629am Hobart, SENTrack 1611am Launceston & Devonport and the SEN App