Matthew Wade

It was a statewide league competition a few years ago and now it's gone back to more southern states and northern states, more regional competition, which is really good, I think, for footy in Tasmania.

But the Devils coming in has given us a huge boost.

There's quality players now going back to playing local footy with the buyers that they've had over the last two weeks.

Yeah, it feels like

Sporting Tasmania's had a huge lift, but when the Hurricanes won, the Jackjumpers have won, and now we've got the opportunity to have an AFL team.

I think everyone's buzzing down here with excitement about

of sporting Tasmania and being able to hopefully keep our best young talent in the state playing for our local teams, which is exciting for the state.

Yeah, I certainly just went to training and didn't get too much permission for the training side of things, but I have let people know that I was playing games, obviously, with my

the situation that I'm in, you've got to, you've got to make sure that you're letting the right people know.

But yeah, but the first couple of weeks, I kept that quiet as much as I could.

Yeah, that's exactly right.

I coached in the IPL last year.

I actually did a lot more coaching this year than I thought that I was, well, last year and this year that I thought I was going to do.

So the opportunity to have a,

winter at home and just be around the family and do things that I haven't done for a very long time, Gerard, has been really nice to have a somewhat normal Monday to Friday.

It's something I haven't experienced for a long time and something I'm really relishing.

I might have to.

Well, I tried to get him there for the weekend, actually, because they played Thursday, but he was busy with family commitments, but

I might try and get him down for a game in the next few years for Lauderdale.

We'll see.