Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan believes the AFL’s 19th team Tasmania could become the new Geelong and attract the sport’s best in search of a country lifestyle, away from the pressures of cities like Melbourne.
Fagan, who grew up in Queenstown and played more than 250 senior games of football in the Tasmanian Football League, said the new team would have plenty of selling points when it inevitably came time to attract interstate players.
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“It’s no different to Geelong in lots of ways, they’re a little bit removed from Melbourne and I think there are players in the league who prefer to play in an environment where the lifestyle is a little bit quieter and the people, because it’s a smaller place, are really friendly,” Fagan said.
“I don’t see it as any different to that. It will attract certain types of players, blokes that have come from the country I reckon.
“I’ve lived in Hobart, it’s a fantastic city and they’ll be rockstars in that town.
“It wouldn’t be a bad place to play if you’re a young bloke I reckon, and even for an older player with a younger family, you want to have a quiet upbringing for your family, there’s lots of benefits to it.”
Fagan said he also hoped the addition of an elite team down south could reignite the dreams of young footballers, whose talent has “died off a little bit” as they chase the money of country football.
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“I’ve thought for quite some time now that the game at a local level has been in a bit of trouble, (with) players choosing not to play at the highest level, (instead) playing country footy or in lesser competitions because they can maybe make a bit more money there,” he said.
“I think a lot of the young people have felt like because they don’t have a team on their front door, the AFL seems like a long way away.
“I’m just hopeful now that if that license is granted, the young people feel very close to being able to play AFL football because there’s a team right in their state and it’s reachable.
“I think if they put all the measures in place at the lower levels to bring the talent through, then we’ll see Tassie become that state again that produces a lot of really good players, because it has over the years but I reckon it’s died off a little bit lately.”
