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FIFA World Cup 2026 scheduleDillon flat-bats questions from Kochie amid Tassie uncertainty
Tom Morris • June 9th, 2026 6:25 pm
AFL boss Andrew Dillon has flat-batted a series of probing questions around Tasmania from Port Adelaide chairman David Koch.
The league hosted all club CEOs and presidents at Marvel Stadium ahead of Tuesday night's Hall of Fame gala, with the AFL Commission also in attendance.
The meeting ran for about an hour and was used as a means for the AFL to update clubs on various subjects, including the formation of the Devils.
Koch asked about the timing of the Tasmanian team, the stadium and its roof and the cost of the venture following reports of a significant blowout.
Dillon reassured the room that the early indications of the finances were OK and more details on stadium costing would be available by the end of September.
Tasmania chief executive Brendon Gale and a Devils director were at the meeting.
At the end of Koch's line of questioning, he asked Dillon whether he'd let them know if there were any changes to the aforementioned answers.
"Yes," Dillon replied.
The AFL remains committed to a men's team entering the AFL competition ahead of the 2028 season as the Devils ramp up their search for a new coach.
The process is widely viewed as a race in three, with John Longmire, Nathan Buckley and Ken Hinkley all in the hunt.
The club will also appoint a football boss before the end of the year. They contacted Graham Wright before he joined Carlton, and are looking for a person with a similar level of experience from within the industry.
Dillon also spoke of the AFL's governance model and the health care team at headquarters, which is overseen by Laura Kane.
The league has walked back its objective for each club to have a full-time psychologist in the men's and women's departments.
Instead, clubs are being asked to increase their psychology resources and are permitted to spread the load across multiple people to reach this requirement.
The club CEOs will be part of a two-day conference in a fortnight where issues surrounding the game will be canvassed in greater detail.
