"Late to the party": Hinkley responds to Mackie Tassie links

Tasmania coach Ken Hinkley has responded to claims that the Devils have made a bold bid to lure Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie away from the Cats.

SEN's Tom Morris first revealed that Mackie has been earmarked by Tassie to be the club's inaugural football boss.

While Hinkley didn't refute claims that the Devils had approached the highly-regarded 42-year-old, he poured cold water on the idea that Mackie was the club's only real candidate.

Speaking on SEN Sportsday, Hinkley did this by suggesting that CEO Brendon Gale has reached out to a plethora of experienced football GMs in the last six months to gauge their interest in a Tassie move.

"He (Morris) was ringing me at eight o'clock this morning... like does he not realise how old I am? I'm having a rest," Hinkley joked on SEN Sportsday.

"So, he's just a bit late to the party. I mean, I think everyone who's been a football GM at some point through the last six months, an inquiry would have been made to most experienced good football GMs at some stage.

"Brendon Gale was doing it. I wasn't even appointed then, so I'd imagine there was plenty (of different enquiries) that would be going on because I know I was actually inquired about it in March the year before about the opportunity to be in some way the football GM at some point."

While Hinkley talked down the Mackie links, SEN Breakfast's Garry Lyon wasn't shocked to hear his name linked with the Devils job as the AFL's 19th club will clearly target the best administrators.

"You go after the best," Lyon said.

"You determine who the best is, or who you think the best is anyway, and off you go."

Morris' report says Tasmania's top priority right now is finding a football boss, with a head of strength and conditioning not far behind.

The club would like to have assistant coaches locked in by this time next year.