Tasmania's parliament has passed a no-confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff, leaving the state headed for a fourth election in seven years.
The election will likely delay the building of the contentious new stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart and could ultimately land a killer blow to the Devils.
Speaker Michelle O'Byrne, a Labor Party member, cast the deciding vote on Thursday afternoon and pledged her support for the team.
The Devils released a statement declaring they would continue to work with the government to build the club.Â
Earlier, former Richmond boss Gale conceded the ongoing uncertainty didn't help the Devils' cause, but remained optimistic the team will enter the AFL as planned in 2028.
"I'm confident in what we've built, the momentum we've generated, and with what's at stake here that sanity and cool heads will prevail," Gale told ABC radio on Thursday.
"But there's reason to be cautious, for sure."
Rockliff came under fire over his party's financial management and plans for the new Macquarie Point stadium.
The slated cost of the proposed 23,000-seat roofed venue has already blown out to $945 million, up from the previous estimate of $755 million and the original figure of $715 million.
An election casts further doubt on the timing of the stadium's construction and could have disastrous consequences for the Devils, because the new venue is a contractual condition of their AFL entry.
"An election would certainly put the full formation of the team and the issuance of a licence at risk," Gale said.
He insisted the Devils would provide multiple benefits to Tasmania for generations, including unquantifiable social impact.
"In a state like Tasmania where there's some structural challenges and negative population growth, and slow economic growth, this will be an economic, social, cultural flywheel, which will endure and unlock benefits for generations, for kids and grandkids and for the future" Gale said.
"All things considered, I absolutely believe this is an investment worth making."
Collingwood premiership star Jeremy Howe, who grew up in Hobart and is in his 15th AFL season, warned of the emotional fallout in Tasmania if the Devils fall by the wayside.
"It will rip the heart out of the state if it doesn't go forward," Howe told Triple M Melbourne.
"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.
"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."
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