Claim rival AFL teams barracking against Tassie entry as Devils 'debacle' unfolds

Essendon great Matthew Lloyd has labelled the situation unfolding in Tasmania a "debacle" as the future of the Devils becomes more uncertain.

With the existing Liberal minority government looking likely to implode and a snap state election looming, there's every chance the Macquarie Point stadium will either not be built or delayed out of the AFL's timeline, thus breaking the existing contract.

Wednesday was a tough day for those involved with the team, as the AFL remains steadfast that no stadium means no team.

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"It's been a bit of a debacle, to be honest," Lloyd told Nine's Today.

"We saw the general manager (Kathryn McCann) in absolute tears doing a press conference, Brendon Gale's spoken about how they would all be out of jobs, it's become so political.

"It seems like it's a 50-50 as we sit here right now whether Tasmania comes in or not now. The AFL seems steadfast on saying no new stadium, no team."

Devils CEO Brendon Gale remains confident, but admitted to the growing uncertainty around the team.

"As far as we're concerned it's business as usual. We're getting on with the business with building an organisation and building teams," Gale told Fox Footy on Wednesday night.

"Clearly our existence is conditional upon the delivery of a stadium based on an agreement between the AFL and state government.

"That process will run its course and that hasn't changed. There's some uncertainty around leadership and the composition of parliament, but that really hasn't changed."

AFL great Jimmy Bartel suggested certain people at rival clubs would be happy to see the new franchise fall over.

"You speak to plenty of people at clubland and when they have a microphone in front of them they often say different things than what they say behind closed doors," Bartel told Wide World of Sports' 3AW.

"A lot of high ranking people at clubs were completely privately opposed to the team coming in, but publicly threw their support behind it.

"If this was to fall over, there would be a number of clubs pretty comfortable with it."

Nine journalist Sam McClure agreed, adding there would be teams "barracking" against their entry.

Brisbane is obviously not one of those teams, with premiership coach Chris Fagan stating the Devils should be granted entry even without the guarantee of a stadium.

"They should let the team come in and then sort the stadium out, and that is how I have always viewed it," Fagan told News Corp.

"Just use facilities that are available (in Launceston and Hobart) with a longer-term plan to build a new stadium.

"They can use the facilities that are already there and then over time, they have been upgraded.

"It would be such a tragedy if the team itself doesn't go ahead because there wasn't a new stadium when there are other football fields down there that AFL footballers currently play on."

Collingwood star and fellow Tasmanian Jeremy Howe says the team falling over will "rip the heart" out of the state.

"It will rip the heart out of the state if it doesn't go forward. The carrot has been there dangling for decades, and then all of a sudden, it's within reaching distance and everyone's become attached to it," Howe told Triple M's Rush Hour.

"Everyone's talking about it, there's a genuine excitement about it. If it doesn't get done, I fear for what the state might look like."