- The new team debuted its name and colors on Monday
- Guernsey foundation revealed, leaving fans divided
- Tasmania Devils to make AFL debut in 2028
There is good news for the Tasmanian Devils supporters who have been critical of the new AFL club’s Guernsey base: the team is unlikely to wear it often.
The club, which received a license in May to compete in the national competition in 2028, unveiled its colors, mascot and inaugural jersey at locations across the state on Monday evening.
The Guernsey foundation is myrtle green and decorated with a yellow map of the island state with primrose yellow and rose red accents to recognize the state’s rich football history.
Although it was a watershed day for football fans on the Apple Isle, not everyone was impressed with the strip’s design, with Tassie’s card in particular receiving criticism.
The Tasmania Devils shirt was unveiled at the launch on Monday evening
The use of the map of Tasmania with a large ‘T’ on the front of the strip did not go down well with many footy fans
Although New Guernsey’s devil logo was widely praised, many questioned the use of a state yellow card in the design.
“Love the devil logo, hate the guernsey,” said one fan.
‘The colors are fine. It’s just that I’m not really a fan of the map on the shirt with a big T on it. That’s more appropriate for something like home state or state competition,” wrote another.
‘Devil is a great logo. Delete the island,” another fan agreed.
AFL 360 presenter Mark Robinson joined the chorus of criticism.
“I thought it could have been a bit more dynamic, that’s all,” he said on Fox Footy.
“I like the traditional parts of our game, but I thought it could have been a bit more dynamic.”
The original GWS Giants design featured completely different colors and logo than the final version
Orange has been a key feature of the strip since GWS made their AFL debut in 2012
Other fans called for calm, saying the shirt unveiled on Monday is unlikely to be the final version players will wear in 2028.
They pointed to fellow expansion teams Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants, who wore completely different strips on their debut to the variants released in the run-up years.
“This jumper will disappear faster than the Tassie Tiger,” one follower wrote.
“It’s clearly a work in progress so relax,” reassured another Tassie fan.
Tasmanian broadcaster David Lithgow confirmed the shirt that debuted on Monday is likely to be replaced.
“The Devils home and away jumpers will be the mainstay,” he posted on social media platform X.
“They will be released later on track in due course.”
The Gold Coast Suns competed in the VFL before the AFL and wore a very different jersey to the one they would wear in the top flight competition
When the Suns played their first match against Carlton in 2011, their guernsey was much more yellow with a bolder team logo and a list of the first team names.
It’s a stunning reveal considering this wasn’t made clear to fans at launch on Monday.
Ny Breaking Australia has contacted the Devils for comment.
‘Oh, that’s interesting to know! I didn’t hear the presentation in its entirety, but that makes sense,” replied one Tassie fan.
“Clarity would have been nice on the night because without honesty this seems like a reaction to the reaction,” another added.
‘That makes sense. I’m sure many people will still buy the foundation sweater, including myself,” wrote another.