Arabic version: شياطين تسمانيا يكشفون عن أول ثماني تعاقدات في دوري كرة القدم الأسترالي

According to ABC News, the Tasmania Devils have confirmed their first AFL-listed players, unveiling eight elite 17-year-old footballers at a draft-style event in Hobart as the club prepares to enter the national league in 2028.

West Australian ruck prospect Axel Walsh, who is 202 centimetres tall, was the first player announced and is the highest-profile member of the initial group. Walsh said family connections in Hobart, including an aunty, uncle and three cousins in Glenorchy, helped make the decision easy. He said the event and the prospect of wearing Tasmania’s map insignia gave him “goosebumps”.

The players have committed before next year’s national draft under the Devils’ list concessions and have signed four-year contracts. Each will earn about $150,000 next year. List boss Todd Patterson said the club would tailor development to each player’s circumstances, with some potentially playing limited VFL football while progressing through their individual timelines.

Next year, Walsh and his seven teammates will divide their time between the Devils’ VFL program, the Tasmanian under-18 side, gym work, study and visits to their home states. Hugh McCallum is the only Tasmanian in the eight-player group. The initial recruiting process began earlier this year, when letters of interest were sent to about two dozen leading under-18 players.

Victorians Jake Miller, Griffin Barker, Baxter Sruk and Angus Brown are among the new signings. Brown said the club’s approach to study, along with the appointments of senior coach Ken Hinkley and development coach Nigel Lappin, helped convince him to join. The Devils’ VFL and VFLW debuts this year have also added momentum to the club’s build towards its AFL arrival.