Tasmania has re-signed Brandon Leary for the 2027 VFL season as a promotion to the inaugural AFL side looms.
Leary joined the Devils ahead of their introduction to the state-league competition, playing 19 games and finishing third in the club's best and fairest.
His form as a high-flying forward garnered interest from AFL clubs during the season, including Adelaide, Geelong and Collingwood, with coach Jeromey Webberley noting his traits were ready for the top-flight.
"I believe he's had a couple of AFL clubs reach out to him," Webberley told Zero Hanger in August.
"So he's been in some really good form. He's sort of built throughout the year as well. Like, we started him as a small dynamic forward, and he's moved himself up into the midfield, and he's starting to become a consistent threat through there.
"I think it's like his speed, power, and vertical leap are top-end. I think he's AFL already in that space, like his ability to swoop on ground balls or take pack marks for his height and win one-on-ones, and then finish is AFL.
"He's got the speed, power, and vertical leap, and athleticism to play AFL footy.
"There are some areas of his game that he needs to continue to tidy up, but I feel like, I think he may be 22 now, but he's just at an age now where he's built on his body. He's now a young man. He's worked on his endurance engine, so he seems ready to go and get that opportunity."
Leary looks set to skip the AFL draft later this month, having locked himself away at the Devils next year.
Tasmania has on offer a 'golden ticket' for aspiring AFL and AFLW players, guaranteeing at least two rookie list spots for those participating in the VFL and VFLW programs across 2026 and 2027, with the potential for up to four.
Leary was overlooked in the 2022 AFL Draft but was a train-on prospect at Hawthorn that summer.
He returned home (Tasmania) and starred for North Launceston, kicking 58 goals in 15 TSL games in 2025 before joining the Devils' inaugural VFL squad.
Leary's re-signing follows the likes of Jye Menzie, Jed Hagan, Lachy Hay, Nick Williams, Zach Adams, Harry Elmer and Maddox Iverach all recommitting to Tasmania.
Former AFL trio George Stevens (Geelong), Jack Williams (West Coast) and Xavier Walsh (Port Adelaide) have also signed with Tasmania for 2027.
