'Make a lot of noise': Chris Fagan adamant Tassie stadium opposition in the 'minority' despite worrying survey results
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has once again urged his fellow Tasmanians to rally around the development of the Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart, saying some don't fully understand how big an opportunity it is.
If the $1b stadium isn't built, the Tassie Devils will not come to exist and the AFL will rip their provisional licence from their hands.
With Tasmania heading to a snap state election, further uncertainty hangs over whether the 23,000 seat roofed venue will be built.
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Brisbane coach Chris Fagan. Getty
"To be honest with you, I'm not sure everybody down there understands the wonderful opportunity that lies ahead with having a team in the AFL and with having a new stadium built in Hobart," Fagan told SEN.
"It can be used for more than just football. It can be used for cricket, it can be used for all sorts of entertainment purposes.
"Every state in Australia has a fantastic stadium that can do those sorts of things except Tassie.
"I'd probably be shouted down by a few people, but I think generally speaking that (those) people are a minority group that make a lot of noise."
A recent poll released by YouGov suggested nearly 70 per cent of Tasmanians weren't in favour of the existing deal between the state government and the AFL.
Locals seem to think there is a means for them to renegotiate with the league, who may relax their requirements for the stadium. At this stage, that appears unlikely.
AFL chief Andrew Dillon has reiterated consistently that any renegotiation would force them to re-evaluate the business case for the team from scratch.
Fagan believes the stadium will be critical to the success of the Tassie side, particularly when it comes to player retention.
A render of what the Tassie stadium would look like. Twitter
"And the critical thing for that is players want a good stadium to play at, there's no doubt about that. So that's the first thing," he said.
"The second thing is you want a really good training facility because we're going to need to… I say we, I probably shouldn't say that… but I'm talking as a Tasmanian now, but we need to be able to attract the best players to the state to play football and part of that is having great facilities to train in."
It appears unlikely the 2024 premiership coach will take the top job at the Devils, admitting he will likely begin to wind down from a work capacity once his time with the Lions is up.
Though, he is happy to assist the club if there is a role he can perform from Melbourne, where he will move back to once his time at the Lions is up.
"I want to finish my time at Brisbane Lions, and I don't know how much longer that will be," Fagan said.
"I know that I've got two more years after this (contract) but at some point, and time as I said, if there was a role that would fit me, particularly a part-time role that probably allowed me to still live in Melbourne, then I certainly would be interested in helping out in any way that I could."
