Tasmania Devils news

The former Hawthorn and Adelaide player finally put pen to paper yesterday morning, ending months of speculation he was returning home after eight years on the mainland.

A born and bred Tasmanian, Hazell has been vice-captain of VFL club Port Melbourne for the past three seasons and his experience will be invaluable for a side looking to rebuild from a horror 2007 campaign.

The Devils' hierarchy has been chasing the 26-year-old since he was de-listed by the Crows in 2004, but business interests in Melbourne have prevented him from returning home.

From the Mercury

Reported by Adam Smith
Full article Click here


With Anzac Day falling on a Friday next year, the Devils will clash with Casey Scorpions at Bellerive in round five for premiership points.

The club has always promoted the Anzac Day round -- usually with a match against Frankston -- but will play on the day for the first time since handing North Ballarat a 77-point hiding at North Hobart in 2004.

The Devils open next season with two away games against Bendigo and Box Hill -- the only two sides it defeated in 2007. Home-and-away matches have been evenly split, with Collingwood's decision to field a stand-alone VFL side increasing the roster season to 20 matches.

However, the Devils have the opportunity to "buy" home games, and Coburg has shown interest in selling its match on June 14.

Devils coach Daryn Cresswell signed Neville yesterday as one of four recruits in Melbourne this week.

AFL Tasmania will announced the quartet in Hobart today, with the promise of more recruits to follow.

Neville, who played for Clarence and the Mariners, was taken by the Demons at No. 68 in the 2005 draft.

His shot at the AFL was ruined by a frustrating fight with osteopubis, restricting him to only a handful of games with Melbourne's VFL affiliate Sandringham over the past two seasons.

But Neville has now put his groin issues to bed.

From The Mercury
Reported by James Bresnehan


SANFL executive commissioner Leigh Whicker found out on Monday afternoon in a phone call from Scott Wade that the Devils had announced their intentions to stay in the Victorian league.

The AFL Tasmania general manager had fronted a media conference in Hobart four hours earlier to outline the Devils' future.

Whicker said he and his South Australian colleagues did not feel used as leverage for the Devils to get a better deal in Victoria.

"Not at all," Whicker said.

"At the end of the day it's not about South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, it's about the game and getting the best mix to strengthen the code.

From The Mercury
Reported by Brett Stubbs


The formation of a Centre of Excellence, a $250,000 increased AFL grant, a 50 per cent increased salary cap and closer ties with the Hawthorn Football Club are all key ingredients to lifting the Devils off the bottom of the VFL ladder.

AFL Tasmania chairman Dominic Baker announced yesterday the Devils would be staying in the VFL long-term.

"Realistically, our intention is the Devils will be remaining in the VFL while we have the Tasmanian Devils," he said.

"We will sign a (VFL) licence for five years.

"Once we have got this program set up and working well and we have a successful club inside that competition, I think we will be there for a very long time."

The review, led by AFL Tasmania board member and Western Bulldogs recruiting manager Scott Clayton, will result in the state's best young players being relocated to the Centre of Excellence at Bellerive under the Devils banner.