The Tasmania Devils men’s VFL side has gone down to the Box Hill Hawks by five points at Dial Park in Penguin, falling 10.11 (71) to 11.10 (76) in front of what was a near sell-out crowd.
It was the club’s first game at the north-west coast venue, with the ground holding around 5,000 to 6,000 people.
The Devils trailed by 20 points at quarter time but fought back to close the gap to three points at the main break.
Box Hill pulled away again in the third term before the Devils mounted a final-quarter charge that fell just short.
Jed Hagan kicked three goals for the Devils, while Hugh Dixon and Maddox Iverach each booted two.
The loss leaves Tasmania with seven wins, one draw and five losses, sitting sixth on the VFL ladder.
Box Hill sit third with nine wins and four losses.
Earlier in the day, the Tasmania Devils women’s team secured a nine-point win over Box Hill Hawks, 6.4 (40) to 5.1 (31), in their VFLW clash.
Grace White kicked two goals for the Devils, who trailed at quarter time but hit the front by half time and pulled away with a strong final term.
The win improved the women’s side to two wins and five losses for the season.
Devils chief executive Brendon Gale had flagged the significance of the round 15 men’s match in the lead-up.
“This is an eight-point game in some respects,” he said.
“There’s a lot at stake.”
Gale grew up in Burnie and said bringing the Devils to the north-west coast meant a lot to him personally.
He thanked the Central Coast Council’s Mayor Cheryl Fuller and chief executive Vicki Brereton for helping bring the game to the region.
Gale also signalled the club wanted to keep playing on the coast beyond this year.
By 2028, the Devils will field AFL and VFL teams in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
“We’ve got a whole range of content to offer and spread around the state, so definitely it’ll be in the mix,” he said.
