{"id":911565,"date":"2026-09-30T23:42:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T23:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/911565\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T23:42:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T23:42:18","slug":"tasmania-devils-confirm-first-ever-afl-signings-with-elite-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/911565\/","title":{"rendered":"Tasmania Devils confirm first-ever AFL signings with elite eight"},"content":{"rendered":"

He’s the 202-centimetre, 17-year-old West Australian who was the raging favourite to be taken at pick number one in next year’s AFL draft.<\/p>\n

His name is Axel Walsh, and if Tasmanians are unfamiliar with the baby-faced beanpole, they won’t be for much longer.<\/p>\n

\"Axel<\/p>\n

Axel Walsh says he’s excited about playing with the Devils. (ABC News: Owain Stia James)<\/p>\n

Rise of Tasmanian Devils, JackJumpers leads to sports academy<\/a><\/p>\n

Tasmania’s sports sector is creating jobs at a scale not previously seen, galvanising academic pathways for those seeking careers in sports management.<\/p>\n

Walsh is one of eight elite 17-year-old footballers who have been pre-listed by the Tasmania Devils, a year ahead of when they were due to be drafted, as part of the club’s bespoke list concessions.<\/p>\n

And if he turns out to be half as good as his football heroes, the Devils have a superstar on their hands.<\/p>\n

“I think a lot of people would go Luke Jackson,” he said, when asked what his closest AFL player comparison would be.<\/p>\n

“I have a lot of respect for his game.<\/p>\n

“But someone I’ve always looked up to is Max Gawn. You see the success he’s had, and I’ve looked up to him as a leader off the field as well.”<\/p>\n

\"Axel<\/p>\n

Axel Walsh has family connections in Tasmania, which he says made it an easy choice to accept the Devils’ offer. (ABC News: Owain Stia James)<\/p>\n

It was an easy decision for Walsh to accept the Devils’ invitation to join the team, a year ahead of his official draft year.<\/p>\n

Family ties encourage decision<\/p>\n

With an aunty, uncle and three cousins residing in the Hobart suburb of Glenorchy, Walsh already considered himself “somewhat Tasmanian” before signing on.<\/p>\n

“I knew if the opportunity presented itself, it was going to be an easy option to say yes,” he said.<\/p>\n

Walsh said he got “goosebumps” at Tuesday night’s draft-style event in Hobart, where he and seven other young guns were unveiled as the Devils’ first-ever AFL-listed players.<\/p>\n

He said he was struck by a club-produced hype video that chronicled Tasmania’s football history, previous failed bids for an AFL team, and the importance of the state’s famous “map” insignia.<\/p>\n

“It’s very important. The people of the island have wanted that for a long time so to have the opportunity to wear that on the jumper, it’s very special and something I’m looking forward to,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It was a bit of goosebumps watching it; 1866 was where it all started, here we are in 2026, so it’s feeling real now with the first eight being signed.”\"Axel<\/p>\n

Walsh was the first player unveiled at Tuesday night’s event in Hobart. (ABC News: Owain Stia James)<\/p>\n

Walsh was the first player unveiled on Tuesday, and is the highest profile player of the initial crop.<\/p>\n

But he’s not feeling the pressure to perform early.<\/p>\n

“I’m really competitive. I want to win, and I hate losing,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I feel like pressure is a privilege, and we have that pressure because of the opportunity we’ve been given.<\/p>\n

“I don’t think there’s pressure, just excitement.”<\/p>\n

It’s a mindset reinforced by Devils’ list boss, Todd Patterson.<\/p>\n

\"Todd<\/p>\n

Todd Patterson says each player’s experience within the team will be customised to them. (ABC News: Owain Stia James)<\/p>\n

“We need to understand that each of them is on a different journey,” Patterson said.<\/p>\n

“Some of them might only have one kick in the VFL. That’s OK. We just need to be patient with their development timelines.<\/p>\n

“For some of them, it’ll be really customised.”<\/p>\n

Walsh and his seven new teammates will split their time between the Devils’ VFL, the Tasmanian under 18s, the gym, studying and visiting their home states next year.<\/p>\n

Sales pitch began this year<\/p>\n

Patterson was part of the team that lured the club’s first players south \u2014 a process that started earlier this year with the delivery of “letters of interest” to about two dozen of the country’s best under 18 players.<\/p>\n

Part of the sales pitch was financial.<\/p>\n

Each player will make about $150,000 next year, having penned four-year contracts with the club.<\/p>\n

\"Hugh<\/p>\n

Hugh McCallum is the only Tasmanian from the pool of eight selected for the Devils. (ABC News: Owain Stia James)<\/p>\n

But Patterson insists the intentions of each of the players is pure.<\/p>\n

“What they earn, what they’ll end up earning and all that stuff, we are thinking about that and the strategy \u2014 but I think we could have offered them one dollar, and they would have been here,” he said.<\/p>\n

“They’re just excited about the opportunity to leave a legacy.”<\/p>\n

Each player signed has unique on- and off-field attributes.<\/p>\n

Victorian Jake Miller is already a quasi-Tasmanian, boasting an impressive golf swing and having a mother who works for Cadbury.<\/p>\n

Fellow Victorian midfielder Griffin Barker’s highlight reel showcases a player who has perfected the “don’t argue” \u2014 his favourite players are Harley Reid and Dustin Martin.<\/p>\n

While on-baller Baxter Sruk accepted his Devils guernsey as AC\/DC’s Thunderstruck blasted throughout the venue.<\/p>\n

\"Angus<\/p>\n

Angus Brown at the Tasmanian Devils’ team announcement. (ABC News: Owain Stia James)<\/p>\n

For another Victorian \u2014 gun small forward Angus Brown \u2014 moving to Tasmania was never a given.<\/p>\n

“I wasn’t in the initial interest letter back in the start of the year, I had to work my way up and find a patch of form,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I found out in May there was a letter of interest and then I pursued an interview with [recruiter] Derek Hine.”<\/p>\n

Even then, there was an element of trepidation for the Victorian who has placed an emphasis on finishing year 12, and pursuing higher education in tandem with a flourishing career in the AFL.<\/p>\n

Tasmania Devils daring to dream<\/a><\/p>\n

The Devils weren’t supposed to make the VFL finals. They were barely even supposed to be in the league.<\/p>\n

“I’m someone whose pretty studious and I want to finish my studies,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The club has been open and flexible about my studying and pursuits academically, so that’s probably my biggest thing.<\/p>\n

“But when I got here and was able to experience the amounts of development, it was an easy sell.”<\/p>\n

It was the signing of Ken Hinkley as senior coach,<\/a> and then the appointment of development guru Nigel Lappin that sealed the deal.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

Momentum for the Devils is growing, boosted by their VFL and VFLW debuts this year. (Tasmania Football Club)<\/p>\n

“The development opportunity here is something you’re not going to get at any other club.<\/p>\n

“I think the calibre of coaches and staff we’ve got is immense,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The sell is the experience, the dedication to the program and development was the biggest thing.”<\/p>\n

As for his on-field prospects, the 174-centimetre pocket rocket has this message for Devils fans:<\/p>\n

“Something I pride myself on, is that while I’m not the biggest on the field, I think I have the biggest heart when I’m out there playing,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It’ll be a dream come true,” he says, of making his AFL debut.<\/p>\n

“But the real work starts now.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He’s the 202-centimetre, 17-year-old West Australian who was the raging favourite to be taken at pick number one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":911566,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[638,479133,64,63,211606,42192,9116,210890,253532,479135,479134,127524,85,178333,53432,479132,24342],"class_list":["post-911565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-afl","tag-angus-brown","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-axel-walsh","tag-baxter-sruk","tag-footy","tag-griffin-barker","tag-jake-miller","tag-nate-jenkins","tag-riley-stratford","tag-signings","tag-sports","tag-tasmania-afl","tag-tasmania-devils","tag-tassie-afl","tag-vfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=911565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/911566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=911565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=911565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=911565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}