Tasmania Devils Make VFL Finals in Inaugural Season, Face Top-Ranked Geelong
The Tasmania Devils have finished fourth in their first VFL season and will play Geelong in a qualifying final at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday, August 29. Geelong finished the home-and-away season first. The match is one of four VFL qualifying and elimination finals scheduled for that day. (AFL.com.au)
Nobody saw this coming. When the Devils entered the 2026 VFL campaign, reaching finals was described as "pretty unrealistic" (Yahoo Sport Australia, 15 Aug). The AFL itself had privately resisted the idea of a Tasmanian VFL team, citing concerns about competitiveness and the cost — about $2 million a season to run the side. (ABC News, 27 Aug)
The Devils' VFL boss, Aaron Pidgeon, put it bluntly. "Anyone who predicted we'd play finals in our first year was kidding themselves." (ABC News, 27 Aug)
The season turned mid-year. After a 25-point loss to Carlton, Tasmania won seven of their final 10 games to lock in a top-four finish — the VFL's top four teams qualify directly into the second week of finals, with a double chance if they win their qualifying final. Coach Jeromey Webberley said the group realised around mid-season it was good enough to win finals football. (ABC News, 27 Aug)
The Devils' first VFL game set the tone: 10,634 fans packed North Hobart Oval for the round-one clash against Coburg. A pre-season camp at Queenstown on Tasmania's west coast had bonded the group before a ball was bounced in earnest. (ABC News, 27 Aug)
Among the standouts is midfielder Harry Elmer, a former Devonport junior who won the Baldock Medal as the North West Football League's best player in 2025. Elmer's rise from local league football to a VFL finals campaign in 12 months captures what this Devils side is about — Tasmanian players getting a chance to represent their state at a high level without leaving home. (ABC News, 27 Aug)
Geelong, meanwhile, is chasing its first VFL finals win since 2013. (AFL.com.au) The Cats finished minor premiers and will host the Devils at Kardinia Park — a ground where visiting teams rarely get an easy night.
For Tasmania, even getting this far required the AFL to be convinced a competitive side was possible. The Devils answered that question on the ladder. Now they get a crack at the team that finished three places above them.
