May 27, 2026 — 7:41pmWithin hours of Essendon announcing Brad Scott’s sacking, the Tasmania Devils had already posted three memes about it – all hinting that the pressure to find the best head coach candidate was ramping up, with a third club now in the hunt.But Tasmania CEO Brendon Gale said while the club enjoyed a “cheeky” social media presence – courtesy of viral content head Jacob Gaynor – he was unfazed by the entrance of two Melbourne powerhouses into the coaching market.“I wouldn’t know who Carlton are looking at. I’ve got no idea. They’ll run through their process, and I guess Essendon will now … it doesn’t really impact us at all to be honest,” the former player-turned-CEO of Richmond told this masthead.“We’ve got our own timelines and funding envelopes we need to work within … we won’t be rushed due to recent events.“[At the] end of the day, you know, you’ve got to really want this job.”Gale said he was looking to appoint the club’s head of football first, so they would have “skin in the game” with whoever was picked.While the list of potential candidates to lead the women’s side remains under wraps, with that role likely to be filled later due to the timing of the AFLW season, Ken Hinkley and Nathan Buckley are reported to be among those being considered for the men’s team. But Gale said there were a couple of other names the media had slept on.“They’re a bit more sensitive because of where they’re at and what they’re doing,” he explained.Former Richmond player-turned-CEO Brendon Gale was named the Tasmania Devils’ inaugural chief executive in 2024.Getty Images“We’re just sort of checking people’s appetites, where they’re at in their life professionally, [and] personally and so we’ve still got a bit of work to do.”Gale said whoever gets the coaching job will have an intense focus and proven track record in developing young players, both on and off the field.Tasmania has long been a thought bubble on the AFL’s horizon – but this year long-suffering locals were finally given more than a recycled puppet to barrack for with the launch of the state’s VFL side, which has been drawing sell-out crowds.More than halfway through their first season, Tasmania sit eighth on the ladder out of 22 teams, and this week two of their players were picked up in the mid-season draft.The club’s VFLW side also made its debut at the start of the women’s season earlier this month.The coaching race between the Bombers, Devils and Blues has heated right up.Artwork: Matt DavidsonHaving observed the way women’s football was often “retrofitted” around the men’s during his time at Richmond, Gale was proud to point out Tasmania will be the first AFL club to roll out their men’s and women’s programs concurrently, with both slated to join their respective competitions in 2028.He said this had been front-of-mind when designing the club’s facilities and social media campaigns.The Devils are also the only club to represent an entire state, which the Tasmanian-born Gale hopes will inspire his compatriots to unite across the Cascade-Boag’s divide, and foster a sense of pride and motivation in the next generation.For this reason, he said it was important whoever took the helm as head coach was able to harness the whole state and embody “Tasmanianness” – a quality Gale defines by its isolation, “grittiness”, and “fierceness of spirit”.Max Mapley (centre) was picked up by Melbourne in the mid-season draft after strong VFL performances with the Tassie Devils.Getty ImagesBasically, he said, Tasmanians play hard.“So I guess what I’m saying is you need a coach who is willing and able to step into that space … we need the hearts and minds of all the state. We need people to invest their wallets by memberships, and we need to stimulate talent outcomes throughout the whole state,” Gale said.“I think there’s also got to be an element of advocacy, and not just internally.”The AFL giving the Hawks the flick from Tasmania after 25 years of playing home games in Launceston was fundamental to this concept of unification, and while it ignited some recent outcry from the Victorian club, Gale said it was a decision made years ago.“Tasmania needs to have the state to itself … the government had paid North Melbourne and Hawthorn for many years to import teams. That’s no longer the case. We have a team going, the government needs to get in behind that team, so that was a condition of the original licence,” he said.“What we saw last week is an affirmation of that … and yes, there will absolutely always be games played in the north of the state.”Gale said the state had already seen significant year-on-year growth in young kids participating in Auskick since the club was first announced.AFL Tasmania told this masthead that since the announcement in 2023 of the Devils’ entry into the AFL, Auskick in Tasmania has grown 65 per cent and is on track to double participant numbers by the end of 2026.“In 2025, AFL Tasmania engaged nearly 2100 children through after-school Auskick/Superkick programs and our growing school holiday offerings, almost 700 more than in 2024,” AFL Tasmania said in a statement.And contrary to recent murmurings that other AFL clubs were increasingly nervous about a potential blowout in costs and delays to the construction of Tasmania’s controversial Macquarie Point stadium, the Devils CEO said it was on track and that he had received “nothing but encouragement and support” from his counterparts about it.Early works have been pencilled in to commence next month and Gale expects a developer will be selected later this year, with construction to start early 2027.He said the stadium looked likely to be completed “some time during 2030”, and ready to play at round one, 2031.AFL.com.au last year reported Tasmania would face financial penalties if the stadium was not 50 per cent built by October 2027 and ready for the 2029 season. The AFL has been contacted for comment about this.In the meantime, the club will play at existing venues in Ninja Stadium in Bellerive and York Park in Launceston, which is currently undergoing upgrades.While Gale declined to make any bold declarations akin to his famous three flags promise at Richmond, he indicated Tasmanians may not to wait too long for a flag, believing the Devils were starting in a better position than most expansion clubs before it.“Yeah we’re a new team but with 160 years of history and tradition … [in a state] that has produced some of the greatest players in the history of the game,” he said.“Footy is really meaningful down here and that’ll really concentrate our minds. That’ll be the wind in our sails. So I think we can be a really competitive footy team sooner than what people think.”Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.From our partners