Tasmania Devils' Coaching Choice is Both Good and Bad

Topic: Australian Rules Football

Thu 18 Jun 2026 at 5:22am

Nathan Buckley is a former Collingwood star, but he didn't win a premiership with them.

In short:

The Tasmania Devils need a coach for their first national game in 2028.

It will be hard to find a good coach because the team is new and has many problems.

What's next?

Nathan Buckley, Ken Hinkley, and John Longmire might become the Devils' first coach.

The Tasmania Devils have a unique problem in finding their first coach.

The team has three great choices for a coach, which makes the decision very hard.

Any AFL team would want these three coaches, who are very good at their job.

So, why do these coaches want to work in Tasmania?

For great players, leaving a legacy is more important than anything else.

The Tasmania Devils will join the AFL in 2028 as the 19th team.

Tasmania won't win many games at first.

The team won't have a finished training facility until later, and a new stadium won't be ready until 2031.

The coach of the Tasmania Devils will have a very tough job and a lot of pressure from fans.

In Tasmania, there's a chance for a coach to do something special that can't be done in other teams.

Nathan Buckley, a former Collingwood star, is very interested in coaching the Devils.

Buckley was so excited about the opportunity that he didn't take a coaching job with Melbourne last year.

Nathan Buckley played for and was captain of Collingwood.

He met with the Devils' bosses and took a coaching job at Geelong to prepare for the Devils' debut in 2028.

Buckley is preparing very carefully, which is what he was known for as a player.

It's not bad that Buckley is so enthusiastic, but it's possible that he's too excited.

The coach who leads Tasmania to a premiership will be remembered forever, but first, they have to develop young players and deal with losses.

Tasmania is very different from Collingwood, where Buckley used to coach.

Buckley has changed from a competitive player to a more calm coach, but is he the right person to lead the Devils?

Or is Ken Hinkley the better choice?

Ken Hinkley is the longest-serving coach who hasn't made it to a grand final.

Hinkley has the experience the Devils need, and he's a good salesman for the team.

The Devils want a coach with experience, and Hinkley fits that description.

Hinkley has a good coaching record, with 174 wins and 124 losses in 13 seasons with Port Adelaide.

He helped Port Adelaide become a better team and made the finals several times.

But does Hinkley want to coach the Devils as much as they want him?

Hinkley is 59, so how many years of hard work is he willing to put in?

Is Hinkley willing to move to Tasmania full-time and develop young players?

Does Hinkley think he can win with the Devils, and is that enough to make him take the job?

What about John Longmire, who also wants to coach the Devils?

John Longmire has a lot of experience and has won a premiership with the Sydney Swans.

Longmire is a very good coach, with 12 finals appearances and five grand finals in 14 years.

He's still passionate about coaching and has been working with the Sydney Swans' under-18 team.

Longmire was watching the Under-18 championships in Western Sydney last week.

Longmire is a man of action, not words.

He would show the team and the state what he can do through his coaching, not by talking about it.

He's a straightforward and disciplined coach who would probably want a high salary.

Then there are the external factors to consider.

There's a lot of expectation and responsibility that comes with coaching the Devils.

There are also political issues in Tasmania, where some people are skeptical about the team.

These things weren't a problem for Longmire when he was coaching in Sydney.

But maybe winning games from the start is the best way to win over the fans in Tasmania, and if Longmire wants to coach the team, they should say yes.

This is a good problem for the Devils to have, but it's still a problem.

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