It didn't take long for inaugural Tasmania Devils coach Ken Hinkley to start pitching to rival players from around the AFL.
Port Adelaide trio Zak Butters, Mitch Georgiades and Miles Bergman were on the agenda during the landmark occasion, which Hinkley declared the Devils will "say no to no-one".
Butters is weighing up his free agency decision, and a move to Victoria looms, with the Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Richmond all vying for his signature.
“If you're listening, Zak, maybe put your decision off for a year," Hinkley said with a chuckle.
Bergman and Georgiades pose as a more realistic option for the Devils, with the Power pair coming out of contract at the end of 2027, aligning with Tasmania's entry into the AFL.
All three have struck up a strong relationship with Hinkley, who has played a huge role in helping Port Adelaide retain them amid heavy interest.
"If Mitch wants to come and Miles wants to come down to Tasmania," Hinkley said.
"I think they both fit in really well, but I think they're bigger decisions. And you know, if you think about both those boys, you talk about a Western Australian, you're talking about a Melbourne boy.
"I hope our list manager has (began looking at players), and I hope our recruiting manager has. I hope that's going on. So that's what all good football clubs do, and we're a good football club."
Part of Hinkley and the Devils' pitch will be achieving the ultimate, which he himself is keen to write in his own record books after falling agonisingly short during his 13-year tenure at the Power.
"Imagine being the first," he said.
"You think about some of these start-up clubs, and you think about the young people who have been a part of those journeys and even Fremantle this year, they sit on top of the ladder; they haven't won a premiership, so you imagine getting the opportunity to be one of the very first, you'll be forever remembered.
"That will be a legacy that every player would want to have, I would imagine, to be a part of history in Tasmania. I'm part of Tasmania Football Club history now, so that's what players will like. They'll like the opportunity, and it will suit some. It won't suit all. But no team absolutely has everything covered for every person."
