Southport defender Nick Williams is the latest coup for first year VFL club Tasmania Devils.
Williams joining after a year where he averaged 14 disposals as a staunch defender for the 2025 grand finalists, with the 21-year-old considered an outside chance to win the VFL's Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal for most promising young talent.
"His ability to intercept and play on small guys or big forwards has been important for us,” 2025 Southport coach Matthew Primus said of Williams following the season.
“The flexibility of that is really important, and he has a great engine and great nature to him.
“I think he's got a great opportunity, I think he could play at the higher level up.
“His strengths are his toughness, his ability to run all day and ability to read the flight of the ball, and we put some onus on him to come out of his shell."
The Devils have announced that at least two golden tickets onto the club's rookie list will be granted to players who line up for the club across 2026 and 2027, with Williams indicating that was a lure to return home.
“Obviously the [Devils AFL] list spots are pretty enticing but it is also a pretty unique opportunity to be part of a club from the ground up,” Williams told the club's website.
“It's not really something that comes around [very often] where a new club pops up and you can be a part of it from day one.
“It definitely made the decision to go back easier knowing a few people that are still around…pretty excited to go back and experience it again.
“It is pretty funny how it all comes around, it's pretty cool to be honest to be able to go back down and play high level footy at a place where I grew up.”
Tasmania is assembling a young and exciting list for 2026.
The Devils have signed a mix of local, emerging and former AFL talent are among the 20 names to have put pen to paper for the 2026 season.
South Fremantle premiership player Jaxon Artemis also put pen to paper on the weekend, with the hard running teenager averaging 13 disposals and three marks at WAFL level in 2025 after being
Fellow overlooked 2024 draft prospect Nathaniel Sulzberger has also signed, having split his time between North Hobart, Tasmania's U18s side and North Melbourne VFL in 2025.
Small forward Jack Callinan, part of the AFL Academy in 2023 before heading to Central District where he has played for the past two seasons, his Bulldogs teammate Zach Adams and established Southport player Hugh Dixon are among the names to return to the Apple Isle having sought a stronger standard of footy elsewhere.
Former AFL quartet Jye Menzie, Caleb Mitchell, Cameron Owen and Robbie Fox were among the first signatures announced.
East Fremantle 21-year-old Jed Hagan is another set to add important run and class.
Gold Coast Academy 2025 graduates Maddox Iverach and Nelson Beikoff-Smart are also set to call Tasmania home.
Michael Stingel, Bailey Boag, Kai Cameron, Brandon Leary and Josh Wolfe headline the listed Tasmanian talent while Lachy Hay has been signed out of Victorian country footy.
The VFLW side has announced 12 signings.
