PLAYER managers have already been on the phone.

For Todd Patterson and Derek Hine, announced on Monday as Tasmania's package deal leading the Devils' list and recruiting team, this week has been full of congratulations – and also early questions on how it could look for their player targets. 

"There's a genuine excitement within the industry with what's being built and the potential. It's extremely important we look at everything but the level of interest has by far exceeded my expectation and that can only be a positive. It's about being able to turn that positive into fruition in terms of the players themselves," Hine told Gettable this week. 

"We have an amazing opportunity to build not only the club but the culture of the club and that sits front of mind with Todd and myself."

The Devils will be given a stack of ways to get there.

As AFL.com.au revealed in March, the concession package is nearing completion and will have approximately 10 first-round picks across three years, two years' worth of access to uncontracted players as 'free agents', Academy and father-son access within Tasmania, first call on a big batch of 17-year-olds, a mini-draft to bolster their trade hand and lots more.

The focus will be on which current AFL players they can lure south ahead of the proposed starting time in 2028 and Patterson said the sell would be simple.

"It's such a diverse appeal. There's the lifestyle, there's the way the club is going to be set up, we've had a bit of an insight into the T&A (training and administration) facility and even the stadium is going to be an elite offering. Talking to (Devils CEO) Brendon (Gale), the people who have been reaching out and wanting to be involved, it's quite different," Patterson said.

"We're talking about it as a start-up but it's almost like a club that's coming out of recess as well, to a degree. There's so many different elements with the lifestyles and opportunities. 

"I think Tasmania is full of opportunity for young people and there will be challenges associated with selling that story but I'm really confident that as a team we'll be able to do that and give people a window into what we see is possible."

The list concession package is being finalised and roadtested with rival clubs currently, but there are ways for competitors to also benefit from it.

"Ultimately the competition wants to see Tasmania succeed so I think there's goodwill from everyone while everyone is competitors as well. Plenty of mechanisms and opportunities for the whole competition, so I think that gets a little bit lost," Patterson said.

"People just see what we get provided as concessions but it does actually open up a lot of opportunity for everyone around the competition as we've seen previously."

Hine joins Tasmania after leaving Collingwood last December after more than two decades as its recruiting boss, building the 2010 and 2023 premiership lists. Patterson has had a key role in Melbourne's list and recruiting team while also being a premiership list manager for the Demons' AFLW side. The pair will combine strategy and street smarts as they work to build an initial list for Tasmania that balances being competitive with the long-term success of the club. 

"It's so important that we set up the medium- to long-term with the group of picks we've got. We're mindful of strength and depth of drafts but certainly the short term is the priority but moving forward the medium- and long-term is also front of mind as well," Hine said.

This year's Marsh AFL National Under-16 Boys Championships will shape the draft view of the 2027 draft crop, while the Devils will target Tasmanians already in the AFL, like Colby McKercher, Ryley Sanders and James Leake, to bring them home. They will have a bonus fund of more than $1 million to help throw at big names as well in their initial phase.

In the coming months, player agents expect to have a clear steer on what deals the new club will be putting forward to their stars.

"There's a bit of urgency for us to understand everything but we're not going to rush and make those strategic decisions. We need to understand the landscape but you can't rush it," Patterson said.

"We'll be looking to strike the balance in getting the best competitors first and foremost. But as Derek and everyone spoke about earlier in the week, we want to excite people in Tasmania. There's a lot of value in the competition at the moment in being able to put on a bit of a show. 

"We are in the sports entertainment industry and we want to put together a really diverse team that will excite fans but also they can turn up and know what they're going to expect."