Western Australian ruckman Axel Walsh says he would have been “silly” to pass up the chance to join the Tasmania Devils, after the club unveiled its first AFL players at a draft style event in Hobart last night.
Walsh is one of seven under-17 players pre-listed by the club.
Tasmanian draft prospect Hugh McCallum also signed, bringing the first group to eight.
For a state that spent decades campaigning for its own team, the night carried a weight the players felt straight away.
“Last night was the real official opening, really sunk in for all the boys,” Walsh said.
“Really special moment surrounded by family and friends.”
Walsh said a video of Tasmania’s history in the state’s attempts to get a team played at the event, tracing the game on the island back to the first official match in 1866, gave him goosebumps.
“And then here we are, 2026 and it’s all starting to feel a little bit real now,” he said.
“The first team, the first eight being signed.”
He said his mum was in tears during the presentations.
Walsh also has family in Glenorchy, including an uncle, aunt and three cousins, who were there to share the moment.
“I feel like I was already somewhat Tasmanian,” he said.
“The Devils is definitely a family down here. Everyone’s really connected.”
The 18-year-old pointed to head of development Nigel Lappin and head coach Ken Hinkley as the reason he committed early rather than entering next year’s draft.
“Like Nigel Lappin, 18 years at Geelong, you’ve seen the success they’ve had,” Walsh said.
“So hopefully that can translate to the Tassie Devils and bring the people what they want.”
Walsh is in Year 12 and will head back to Perth to finish his exams before moving south.
He models his game on Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn and describes himself simply.
“I think I’m just really competitive. I want to win. I hate losing,” he said.
Angus Brown, a midfielder from the Sandringham Dragons, said the development on offer was the biggest drawcard, along with the club’s flexibility around his studies.
“I think the development opportunity here is something you’re not going to get at any other club,” he said.
Brown had barely set foot in Tasmania before this year.
“I’m somebody that loves to get out in nature and the beaches are lovely and I think the weather’s also really, really nice,” he said.
“So no, first impression is very, very good.”
He described the early move as a “calculated guess” rather than a leap of faith, saying he had been told there was “a great deal of pride around Tasmania”.
Brown said the planned Macquarie Point stadium looked like it would be “a fortress that hopefully we can make our own”.
The players will come down for pre-season on November 23 before moving full time next year.
Most will play in the Coates League or VFL through 2027 as they build towards the club’s first AFL match in 2028.
Walsh said none of the group felt any pressure as the first players to wear the jumper.
“The people of the island have wanted that for a long time, so to have the opportunity to wear that, that on the jumper, it’s going to be really special,” he said.
