Brendon Gale has officially arrived as the Tasmania Devils CEO and he has already hit the ground running, listing a few key items that he'll focus on in anticipation of the club's introduction in 2028.
Gale - who hails from Tasmania - departed Richmond in 2024 following a successful tenure, resulting in a 37-year drought-breaking premiership that was followed by a pair of flags.
And he's aiming to do the same with the AFL's 19th team.
"The first part of my tenure is really getting on the road and immersing myself in the state and absorbing a lot of information, listening, learning and meeting all the important stakeholders โ AFL, Government, people in Tasmania, business, community," Gale said speaking toย AFL Media.
"This is a conditional licence โ let's not forget that โ so there's still plenty of work to do. So that's the first aspect in building that real understanding so you start to build out your organisation. But for a few hard-working employees, we need to build an entire off-field organisation and that's before the football and the team."
"We need to build really strong cultural foundations, then the focus will start to turn to some key football decisions, particularly those in and around list management."
When asked about the crucial appointments for the club, including the coach, Gale remained tight-lipped but suggested someone like Tasmanian NBL champion coach Scott Roth, who successfully "engaged the whole state" in his team's 2024 NBL Championship title win in their third season as a franchise.
"That's probably one area where I've had a few thought bubbles. Not about individuals but trying to define in my own head what it will take to coach a Tasmanian team and an establishment team," he said.
"I think resilience is going to be really important. I think the ability to work with youth and develop."
Multiple current and former AFL coaches have been floated as potential options, namely Chris Fagan and Craig McRae, the previous two premiership coaches.
The pair have galvanised their respective organisations, both internally and externally, to lead the club to premiership glory.
Fellow premiership coaches John Longmire and Adam Simpson also posing as genuine contenders for the Devils coaching role following their departures from Sydney and West Coast in 2024.
A key component of all four coaches is, by the time Tasmania enter the league, will be their immense experience at the top level as head coach.
Longmire and Simpson lasted well over a decade while Fagan's - who is a Tasmanian himself - new deal to 2027 will reach a similar mark.
Another area of contention is the draft concessions afforded to Gale and the Devils.
The AFL has had recent experience in this space, welcoming both Gold Coast and GWS in the early 2010s to which only the latter has effectively managed its playing group to place itself in the finals.
Albeit a preliminary proposal, Gale has declared the draft concessions "not quite as generous" as their fellow expansion clubs.
"It's important, the AFL wants to set us up for success. The strength of the competition relies on a high degree of competitive balance," Gale said according to theย Herald Sun.
"They'll want to afford us the type of concessions that will get us competitive early, and get us the right mix of elite youth and hardened professionals.
"I've seen a draft set of proposals and they're maybe not quite as generous as what was provided to the Giants and the Suns early doors.
"But they (AFL) are fully aware of the reasons behind that. We need to understand why and their motives behind us and land somewhere that's good for us and the competition."
