Key Geelong figure giving serious thought to Tassie

Andrew Mackie is giving serious thought to joining the Tasmania Devils.

The Devils approached Mackie several months ago in a bid to lure him out of Geelong and make him the club’s inaugural head of football.

Mackie’s wife Georgia was in Hobart yesterday as the family continue to weigh up a move south.

A triple premiership player, Mackie is now regarded as one of football’s best administrators and oversees the Cats’ footy department and list management strategy in a combined role.

He has formed an excellent working relationship with coach Chris Scott, but also has a long-standing friendship with Devils coach Ken Hinkley.

The attempt to get Mackie onboard is part of a Cats double raid by the Devils, who last month poached Geelong development guru Nigel Lappin.

Lappin’s signature formed a major piece of Tassie’s coaching team. Securing Mackie as their next order of business would be a major coup for the AFL’s 19th club.

After learning the ropes under revered recruiter Stephen Wells, Mackie assumed the list management lead five years ago before being appointed the Cats’ football boss in September, 2023.

Tassie is also working on identifying a head of high performance, while appointing Hinkley’s team of assistant coaches will unfold in more detail next year.

Devils CEO Brendan Gale and his team have worked feverishly this year to secure Blundstone, Cadbury and Firmus Technologies as foundation major partners.

Work has started on the Devils’ high-performance centre at the Kingborough Sports Complex, with construction set to be complete around mid-2028.