Tassie list build: What the AFL has given the Devils

The Tasmania Devils have been granted their list rules ahead of their inaugural season in 2028.

Tassie’s start-up list assistance was confirmed by the AFL Commission last week, featuring a number of draft picks and list concessions permitted to aid the club’s transition into the AFL.

Ahead of the 2027 National Draft, the Devils have been granted seven first-round picks, landing at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13.

Of those picks, 5, 7, 11 and 13 must be traded away from the club, while 1, 3, and 9 can be used to select incoming talent to feature for the side in 2028.

Beyond 2027, the Devils have also been granted picks 5 and 9 in 2028 and 2029, with 5 to be traded away in both years.

Beyond draft concessions, the Devils have also been granted a list of assistances, as released by the AFL:

• A sign-on bonus fund of $5 million that will sit outside the salary cap, to be used by the Devils in their first two years to land big names, with a maximum spend of $3 million in either year;

• Four mini-draft selections over two years to on-trade access to star 17-year-olds for following drafts;

• Access to pre-list draft talents in their 17th year, spread across two years;

• Access to Tasmanian prospects from two years before the club's entry year, with the players able to bypass drafts and play in the state league team;

• Priority access to Tasmanian prospects as Academy players, similar to the Northern Academy model, with the ability to pre-list eligible Academy players for the first four years before the AFL reviews the club's access;

• Access to pre-list players who have previously nominated for the national draft but have not been selected or are not currently AFL listed;

• Access to players as father-sons if their father was born in Tasmania and played at least 100 AFL games;

• A flexible list size for the Devils' first five AFL seasons, allowing up to 48 players on the list until their fourth year before reverting to regular levels by their sixth season.