As AFL territory, Tasmania has long pushed for inclusion in the top tier of the sport.
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But after getting a licence to enter the national league in 2028, the Apple Isle has descended into a bitter debate about a proposed new stadium.
There are also accusations of political blackmail ahead of a critical parliamentary vote on the project, which could decide the fate of the team.
The Tasmania Devils were given the AFL green light in mid-2023 on the condition a roofed 23,000-seat stadium be built at Hobart's Macquarie Point.
The governing state Liberals, who inked the contract, have trumpeted the project as job-creating, economy-boosting and a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
But opponents claim the AFL has held Tasmania to ransom and the stadium is the wrong priority with a price tag that could swell from the slated $775 million to more than $1 billion.
"Why are we putting our money into a billion-dollar stadium when we should be putting it into housing?," said Roland Browne, from anti-stadium group Our Place.
The RSL doesn't like the stadium's visual impact on the nearby cenotaph, while Cricket Australia is worried shadows from the timber roof will mean cricket can't be played.
The stadium, and by extension the Devils, has become deeply entangled with the island state's politics.
When forming minority government in 2023, the Liberals did a deal with two now-departed independent MPs for the stadium to be assessed as a project of state significance.
A report released as part of the process found it would cost $992 million to finance and it would leave Tasmania with $1.86 billion of extra debt after a decade.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff in April announced a pivot: fast-track legislation to get the stadium built would be introduced to parliament.
He then threw down an ultimatum, saying if the legislation wasn't passed, the stadium and team would go down with it.
"It is well canvassed about ... the need for stadium infrastructure in close proximity to the city to create further interest in economic growth and investment," Mr Rockliff said.
"Without the stadium, the Devils do not stack up."
The state's Labor opposition, which once campaigned on renegotiating the AFL deal, now backs the stadium "unconditionally".
With its support, the legislation will sail through the lower house in an expected June vote.
But to pass the upper house, where the ultimatum appears to have gone down like a lead balloon, it needs the votes of two of seven independents.
One of the independent MPs, Rosemary Armitage, said she was likely to vote no to the legislation, which was still being drafted.
"I don't believe we can vote according to threats, it's a bit like blackmail," she said.
"I'm certainly supportive of a team. (But) I don't believe the AFL should have been demanding a state of 570,000 people build a stadium in a particular spot."
Ms Armitage added she didn't support Mr Rockliff's shifting of the planning "goal posts" and had concerns Macquarie Point wasn't big enough for a stadium.
"We all want things, a bit like children, but sometimes we can't because it might not be the best thing," she said.
Fellow upper-house independent Ruth Forrest supports a team but not at "any cost", saying that any failure of the AFL bid or stadium plan would reflect the government's mishandling of the matter.
Vocal stadium critic Meg Webb, who faces an election later in May, says she won't vote for the fast-track legislation.
In a statement, Mr Rockliff said his previous comments were simply re-affirming an "unequivocal fact" that the stadium was a non-negotiable condition of the AFL licence.
"This project is about so much more than footy, it's about the aspirations of young Tasmanians; it's about opportunity, our economy, small businesses, tourism and much more," he said.
The state government plans to spend $375 million on the stadium, plus additional borrowings.
The federal government is chipping in $240 million for development at the site and the AFL $15 million for the stadium.
A February poll found 59 per cent of Tasmanians did not support the Macquarie Point stadium, while 36 per cent were on board.
Tasmania's firebrand federal senator Jacqui Lambie has quipped the premier can shove the stadium "up his bum".
"It has been very divisive and I think that is the shame of it," Ms Armitage said of the stadium.
"Realistically, it should have been something bringing the state together."
The AFL has repeatedly maintained the stadium deal is the deal.
The Devils, meanwhile, are pushing ahead and recently announced the signings of three key recruiters as they look to build their AFL and AFLW player lists.
The club has released modelling saying it would be $5 million worse off per season playing at existing venues and not a new stadium.
It will play its first season at grounds at Bellerive in Hobart and Launceston before the stadium's projected 2029 completion date.
The project will deliver $140 million in economic benefits during its construction phase and facilitate hundreds of jobs, Master Builders Tasmania says.
Australian Associated Press