How can Tasmania transform its enormous draft hand into an experienced and competitive inaugural AFL squad without placing immediate pressure on its salary cap? The Devils believe they may have found the answer through an innovative trade model being presented to rival clubs.
Tasmania is exploring deals that would see established clubs effectively purchase one of the Devils’ prized draft selections by trading an experienced player and continuing to pay most of that player’s salary.
Tasmania Approaches Rival AFL Clubs
The Devils have reportedly approached several clubs about the proposed model as preparations intensify for their entry into the AFL in 2028.
Tasmania has been awarded a significant collection of early selections through its official AFL list-building concessions, but six of those picks must eventually be traded.
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Those selections are:
- Picks No.5, No.7, No.11 and No.13 in the 2027 AFL Draft
- Pick No.5 in the 2028 AFL Draft
- Pick No.5 in the 2029 AFL Draft
The Devils have some flexibility to carry designated selections forward, but they cannot simply take young players with every pick. That requirement has encouraged the club to find a creative way of converting its draft capital into experienced footballers.
Under the proposed arrangement, Tasmania would trade an early selection to another club in exchange for a contracted player. The player’s former club would then continue paying a significant percentage of his remaining salary.
“It will see clubs effectively be able to buy prized draft picks off the Devils,” AFL.com.au journalist Callum Twomey explained.
How Tasmania’s Trade Model Would Work
A hypothetical example presented in the original report involved Richmond midfielder Jacob Hopper, who is contracted until the end of 2029.
Richmond could theoretically trade Hopper to Tasmania for one of the Devils’ early selections while continuing to pay the majority of his salary. Tasmania would receive an experienced midfielder without absorbing the full cost of his contract, while Richmond would obtain a valuable draft pick that Hopper alone may not ordinarily command.
Essendon midfielder Darcy Parish was used as another hypothetical example because he is also contracted through to the end of 2029.
Neither Hopper nor Parish has been confirmed as a Tasmania target. Their names were used only to demonstrate how the proposed arrangement could operate.
It would effectively reverse the traditional salary-dump trade. Instead of a club attaching an early draft pick to convince another team to absorb an expensive contract, Tasmania would supply the valuable selection and demand that the player’s former club continue paying most of his salary.
Why The Strategy Could Benefit Tasmania
The model could help Tasmania avoid filling its inaugural list exclusively with young players and uncontracted recruits.
Starting with too many inexperienced footballers would leave the Devils exposed against established AFL teams, while spending heavily on veterans could create salary-cap problems within only a few seasons.
Having rival clubs subsidise the contracts of experienced recruits would allow inaugural coach Ken Hinkley to surround Tasmania’s emerging talent with established AFL players.
The salary-cap savings could become particularly important when the club’s collection of early draft selections finishes its initial three-year contracts and begins negotiating more lucrative extensions.
Tasmania has already appointed Hinkley as its inaugural AFL coach, placing the former Port Adelaide mentor at the centre of the club’s football and list-building plans.
Rival Clubs Could Secure Premium Draft Picks
The proposal could also appeal to clubs carrying experienced players on long and expensive contracts.
Continuing to pay a large portion of a traded player’s salary would be costly, but securing a top-15 draft selection could provide sufficient incentive—particularly in a draft already compromised by Tasmania’s extensive concessions.
Salary contributions following trades are already permitted in the AFL.
Melbourne is reportedly paying part of Clayton Oliver’s contract following his move to Greater Western Sydney, while Collingwood previously contributed to the contracts of Brodie Grundy and Adam Treloar after they left the Magpies.
However, arrangements involving substantial salary contributions remain subject to AFL scrutiny and approval. Tasmania’s discussions with rival clubs do not mean any trade has been agreed or approved.
Devils Have Several Recruitment Advantages
The proposed trade strategy would complement the other mechanisms Tasmania has received to build its inaugural squad.
The Devils can sign up to 18 out-of-contract AFL players across a two-year window, with a maximum of one player taken from each existing club. They also have access to a $5 million signing-bonus pool outside the salary cap, with no more than $3 million available in either of their first two seasons.
Tasmania can also carry an expanded list during its first five AFL seasons, including a maximum of 48 players in years two, three and four.
Those concessions give the Devils several pathways to recruit young talent, established stars and experienced role players. The proposed pick-purchasing strategy could now provide another valuable option as Tasmania attempts to build a competitive list from its first season.
No players have yet been secured through the model, but the conversations demonstrate that Tasmania is prepared to use its draft hand in ways the AFL has rarely seen before.
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