Richard Dowling (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At 12.05 pm on Saturday at North Hobart Oval, something truly special happened. We saw the ball bounce in what was the first apprenticeship in two years for the Tasmania Devils football club on their journey to AFL greatness. They played Coburg. It wasn't just a milestone for a football club; it was a milestone for a state that has lived and breathed Australian rules football for generations.

Tasmania is and always has been a fiercely proud football state. For decades we've produced elite talent, filled grandstands and carried the game through our communities, and we've waited a long, long time—too long—for our national team to be our own. On Saturday, we saw that future begin to take shape. At 10 am, I joined the line as it snaked around the oval as the crowd tried to get in and pack that stadium to capacity. There were 11,000 proud Tasmanians watching their team and cheering them on against Coburg. Families, kids in Devils colours, lifelong footy supporters—all there to witness the moment many thought they might never see. And what we saw was more than a game; it was the beginning of something much bigger. The Devils VFL debut is a critical step on the road to AFL entry and AFL greatness. It's about building a culture, developing talent and abetting a team that truly reflects the character of Tasmania—resilient, grounded and quietly determined.

There is still work to do. Establishing a new club takes time, discipline and sustained investment. But what Saturday showed beyond any doubt, beyond the scoreboard, is that Tasmania is ready. We're ready to support, ready to belong and ready to make this team our own. And as we reflect on the result—the Devils won by 17 points—the outcome, while important, is not the full story. The real result is this: Tasmania now has a team to believe in and, after all these years, that means everything.