Ken's 10: The marquee players Tasmania should target

Ken Hinkley has listed his top 10 players that the Tasmania Devils should target ahead of their inaugural season in 2028.

With an abundance of cap space and capital to shift, the Devils have ample room to attract some of the competition’s best players, just as the Gold Coast Suns managed with the signing of Gary Ablett Jnr.

But which of the AFL’s talents should the club prioritise?

Hinkley listed his 10 in order, with a range of criteria narrowing down his selections – including the captaincy and vice-captaincy.

“There’s no getting this wrong, this is just my view on how I’d like to do it,” Hinkley told SEN Sportsday.

“I’ve got some rules first of all. I wanted a mid-tier team of age group – no older than 26, and no younger than 23 (when Tassie enter the competition).

“What I figure, having been at the Gold Coast, is you can get the top-end players, the older players at the end of their careers who can come and help you out – I don’t think there is any issues with that.

“They’ve got a plethora of draft talent; they don’t need your 18’s and 19’s and 20’s.

“In order, back to front:”

10. Errol Gulden

“26 (when Tassie come in), he is what I would call a ‘utility player’. He can be a wing, a forward, a half back if you needed him. He can cover a lot of bases.”

9. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera

“I can’t believe I’ve got this guy at number nine. He should be number one and nobody would be surprised.

“Pure utility. We’ve seen last year he can go to the goal square and kick goals, his best footy so far has been off half back, and he can go into the midfield if they need to change things up.

“He’s such a difficult tag, because he does it in different ways. He doesn’t just win it on the ground or in the air, he can get it everywhere.”

8. Mac Andrew

“I think we needed a key defender. I didn’t want to go too much later in the picks, because there are too many good players.

“He’s got the agility, the speed and the intercept marking of the modern game, when you need to light the ball up and get it going.

“He is something to sell, and we’ve got to sell stuff down in Tassie. It’s a great footy state, and you’ve got to sell some champions down there and something a bit different.

“Mac Andrew has got that appeal. The intercept markers.”

7. Jaspa Fletcher (C)

“Maybe not a lot would pick, but I picked him for a reason, and I picked him to be captain of the Tasmania Devils.

“Dad Adrian comes from Tasmania. You bring your father and your son back to Tassie and he becomes the first captain of Tasmania.

“I know that Brisbane people think he is possibly the next captain up there – he is a great player, and he is a defender if you want him down there.

“As all captains should be, he will go where the team needs him. If you’re going to sell Tasmania, you’re going to sell a captain that’s coming from Tasmania.

“What a great appointment it would be to bring someone like that.”

6. Finn Callaghan

“A favourite of mine, who I think is just about to take right off.

“Another player, like Mac Andrew – they will understand what a start-up club looks like, and they will have some experience in what you need to do to make it work.”

5. Will Ashcroft

“Two-time Norm Smith Medallist already.

“That’s just to help Jaspa settle in at home. You’ve got to get him to settle in at home with one of his best mates.

“They can have a look around and see what it’s like and enjoy the company of each other!”

4. Harley Reid

“This bloke is going to rip games in half.

“He has got everything. Again, you want midfield talent that’s going to be explosive. He reminds me of Zak Butters – that aggressive midfielder.

“Zak will be 28-29 by then, way too old.”

3. Riley Thilthorpe

“We’ve got to get match-winners. If we’re going to have a team that’s going to be exciting to watch and people want to come down and see it, they want the big bearded one in the square.

“The Thillseeker is going to be down there and he’s going to bring bums to seats and he’s going to have all the Tasmanians craving for another big mark, another big goal.

“The other beauty of him, as we’ve seen, he can actually go on ball, but he’s a ruckman/forward that can work in a tandem with my number two.”

2. Sam Darcy

“Highlights player.”

1. Nick Daicos (VC)

“He still fits the age bracket, and he is probably as good a player as I’ve ever seen come into the game and do what he’s done.

“Unfortunately for Nick, he’ll have to be vice-captain again.”

Ken Hinkley joins Gerard Healy on SEN Sportsday from 6pm every Monday to Wednesday!

Listen to his full 10 below!