The Tasmania Devils won’t chase contracted stars like Nick Daicos or Harry Sheezel for its inaugural season.
List manager Todd Patterson says the Devils are focused on free agents and out-of-contract players instead.
Patterson said the club had finalised its list-building strategy and was now actively approaching rival players, two months after the Devils hosted 30 player agents in Hobart.
“We’ve finalised our strategy and our list management committee meetings are in full swing,” he said
“We’re now active in the marketplace.”
The Devils hold 11 first-round draft picks across their first three seasons and don’t want to burn those assets trading for players already under contract at other clubs.
Instead, Tasmania can sign one uncontracted or free agent player from each club across 2027 and 2028 without needing to trade for them.
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense for us to be unnecessarily giving those up for players when there’s a pool of available players that we don’t need to do that for,” Patterson said.
He acknowledged players like Daicos, Sam Darcy, Finn Callaghan and Sheezel would excite Tasmanian fans. But he said their long-term contracts made them unrealistic targets.
“You’d be staggered if their clubs are willing to let them go,” he said.
Giants midfielder Tom Green, who will be a free agent in 2027, has previously flagged his openness to a Tasmania move.
Young Brisbane Lion Logan Morris is another key target given his age and contract status.
On the trade front, the AFL isn’t expected to include Tasmania in this year’s trade period, which Patterson said he was “a bit unfussed by”.
The Devils already know they will hold picks one, three, five, seven, nine, 11 and 13 in next year’s draft, with four of those picks required to be traded.
The club is also closing in on signing up to half a dozen under-17 talents this year, drawn from a nominated pool of 22 draft-eligible prospects.
