On a landmark day for Tasmania as it unveiled inaugural senior coach Ken Hinkley, Devils chief executive Brendon Gale took the opportunity to respond to recent comments from outgoing GWS boss Dave Matthews regarding the attraction factor of the AFL's 19th team.
Matthews did not mince his words in recent days when regarding how he thinks expansion club Tasmania will fare when it enters the AFL in 2028, saying players like Giants star Tom Green won't be lured to the Apple Isle given their desire to win a premiership, despite monster offers.
Gale didn't take it too lightly when listening to the comments, throwing back a punch to Matthews.
“It's a bit rich of Dave Matthews to lean in. He has never lived here. He has never lived in western Sydney. The prince of Balmoral," he said on Monday.
The AFL's 19th club has an extra five million-dollar signing bonus outside of the salary cap, which it can use at its discretion to attract opposition players.
But even life-changing deals will not make the Devils a "super attractive proposition", according to Matthews.
"I think Tasmania looms large just because of the sheer size of the offers that you hear they are going to make," Matthews said on 3AW over the weekend.
"And to be honest, my view is they need to make those. I don't think it's a super attractive proposition to go and play at Tasmania. My own view is that it is a nice place to visit, but I don't think it's an unbelievable place to have a career and live.
"I think some of the hold-ups in relation to the infrastructure, I know (Tasmania CEO) Brendon Gale probably wouldn't like me saying this, but we are in a competition. By the time they get a stadium in place, it is probably three years into their tenure, and by that stage, a player like Tom Green is 31 or 32.
"The money is one thing, but the opportunity, again, if you listen closely to what Tom Green talked about, he wants to be a premiership player, and I also think at some point you will see him captain the Giants."
