Brandon Leary says he would turn down an AFL club if one wanted to take him in this year’s draft, after the Tasmania Devils forward re-signed for 2027.
The 23-year-old played 19 games in the Devils’ first VFL season and finished third in the club’s best and fairest. He polled 233 votes, one behind runner-up Nick Williams and eight behind winner Hugh Dixon.
Asked what he would do if a club wanted to draft him, Leary said: “I’m locked in for the Devils for ’27.”
Pressed on whether he would say no to someone like Collingwood, he said: “At this stage, yeah.”
Leary said his contract did not have an AFL deal attached. The Devils will enter the AFL in 2028 and, under the Golden Ticket initiative, can sign up to four of their own VFL-listed players to their first AFL list.
Last season Leary travelled from Launceston to train and joined most of his teammates only one night a week. He is now moving to Hobart.
He said being there full time and seeing his teammates more often “will be better for my footy”.
Leary also has six months of university study left and hopes to find teaching work in Hobart.
He said playing in the AFL was his long-term goal and the season was “was a really good stepping stone for me”.
He was overlooked in the 2022 AFL Draft and trialled with Hawthorn in 2023 before kicking 58 goals in 15 TSL games for North Launceston in 2025.
This year he represented the Devils in the half-time sprint at the AFL Grand Final, which was won by Jed Walter.
“I think afl.com had me as second, so I’ll take second,” Leary said.
He joins a long list of returning teammates including Jye Menzie and Jed Hagan to re-sign, along with new recruits George Stevens, Jack Williams and Xavier Walsh.
