In a year of firsts, this morning will bring another milestone for Tasmania Devils captain Robbie Fox and his teammates when they run out at a packed North Hobart Oval for the club’s first home final.
The Devils face Essendon in a do-or-die VFL semi-final, with a place in the preliminary final on the line.
“Round one was amazing, our first away game, our first game at Ninja, our first doubleheader with the girls and now it’s our first final at home,” Fox said.
“I think the whole team, I know the state, can’t wait for it and I think it’s going to be a cracking game.”
The Devils must win to keep their inaugural VFL season alive after falling to Geelong in last week’s qualifying final.
Fox said the group took lessons from that loss, particularly the need to be braver with the ball.
“Our contest work was good, our defensive stuff was good, but our offence we’ve worked on all year,” he said.
“I think we were just a little bit too nervous with ball on hand and didn’t take risks.”
Coach Jeromey Webberley said his side was good enough to win the premiership despite the setback.
“We have got a great chance … we will stay in the game for long periods of time and hopefully this week we will take our chances,” Webberley said.
Standing in their way is an Essendon side with 18 AFL-listed players.
Bombers captain Xavier O’Neill said his side was looking forward to playing in front of a big crowd.
“We play all year to play in front of crowds and in semi-finals, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what it’s like,” O’Neill said.
“It’s obviously a really nice setting and hopefully there’s a few Dons fans here too.”
O’Neill described Tasmania as “a pretty honest footy team” with strong ground ball work and pressure.
The semi-final kicks off at 11:05am, with no tickets available at the gate.
