In the first sign that his muzzle had begun to loosen, outgoing Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson claimed that a stand-alone Tasmanian team should enter the competition within the next handful of years.
The mastermind's comments came in the wake of his Hawks' upset victory over a highly fancied Bulldogs outfit in Launceston on Saturday afternoon.
The aforesaid clash represented the last time that Clarkson would lead the Waverley based club at their 'home away from home' in the Apple Isle's north.
When quizzed after the victory carried out by his undermanned side, the 53-year-old offered a blunt answer regarding the future of Tasmanian football.
โUntil Tasmania gets its own side, we hope to keep playing games in Tasmania,โ Clarkson said in his post game press-conference.
โIโm a bit like the Premier [Peter Gutwein], if youโre going to have a Tassie side, letโs get it cracking from scratch."
Clarkson's comments come following the release of the highly publicised 'Carter Report' that was conducted to produce a conclusive answer as to how a 19th franchise could force their way into the game's top flight.
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Despite the report's creator - former Geelong president Colin Carter - suggesting that a stand-alone side could work in theory, he also contended that a more prosperous route to inclusion could come by asking a Melbourne based team to split their home games south of the border or relocate entirely.
Despite Carter's views that the latter pair of options could pay dividends, Clarkson did not share his contention.
โDonโt have a relocated team, and donโt have a quasi-team. Thatโs been in place for a long time and while that has been good for the game down here, Tassie has done enough for the game to deserve its own side and I hope they get it," he continued.
The four-time premiership coach also explained the timeline for the proposed team's entry.
โIf I was the AFL, Iโd day letโs have Tassie in by 2025 or 2026 and letโs get them started now," Clarkson expounded.
"Put infrastructure around it, get an AFLW team, a team in the under-19s, and a team in the VFL and build from the ground over four or five years.
โBy 2025 or 2026 Tassie could be a really viable option in terms of being the 19th team in our competition.โ
After yesterday walking off York Park for the final time as Hawthorn coach, Clarkson was met with rapturous applause by those in the outer clad in brown and gold.
His impressive record of 46-1-15 - at a success rate of 73% - is set to stand if he fails to coach again at the venue that sits a stones throw from the banks of the Tamar.
