Tasmania Devils CEO Brendon Gale. Pictures: AFL Photos

TASMANIA'S first ever AFLW side will be able to sign up to 18 rival players as special free agents, will be handed exclusive access to local talent and will receive five top-25 draft picks as part of its initial list build concessions.

However, as revealed by AFL.com.au in October, existing AFLW clubs will be granted a mechanism to protect up to 12 contracted players from being poached by the Devils after the League officially informed teams of the expansion list rules on Wednesday.

Tasmania will be handed picks No.1, 5, 9, 14 and 24 in its first ever draft, as well as the first picks in each subsequent round, while it will also receive picks No.4 and 8 in addition to its own selection in its second year of existence.

Unlike in the men's competition, where Tasmania must trade a handful of its first ever draft picks for established talent, it's understood there will be no mandate for the club to trade any of its AFLW selections for rival players.

The Devils will also receive priority access to local draftees – without having to match bids – for their first four years in the AFLW, as well as expanded rights to sign players who had previously nominated for drafts or been delisted by existing clubs.

However, it's expected that the overwhelming majority of Tasmania's initial list build will be formed through a newly created 'expansion free agency' model that will give the Devils the ability to sign players – contracted or not – as free agents.

Emma Humphries (left) and Jack Riewoldt (right) pose for a photo with Tasmanian students during a Tasmania Devils media opportunity on March 19, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

Tasmania will be given a signing bonus of 33 per cent of the total player payment package in effect at the year of its entry to attract rival talent, with an ability to sign up to 18 players as an 'expansion free agent' without having to trade for them.

But, as previously flagged and for the first time in AFLW, existing clubs will now be able to protect a certain number of players – based on a sliding scale reflecting previous ladder positions – from Tasmania's clutches.

The protections had been a critical suggestion from existing clubs during feedback sessions held with the AFL across recent months, after foundation AFLW sides were powerless to protect their best players from three previous iterations of expansion.

Clubs will be able to protect a standard number of six contracted players, a maximum of 12 players and a minimum of three players from being classified as 'expansion free agents' if they are contracted at the time of Tasmania's arrival.

The total number of players each club will be able to protect will depend on previous ladder positions at the time of the Devils' entry, with teams at the bottom of the ladder able to block more players from leaving than teams at the top.

Priya Bowering (Tasmania Devils) poses with Becky Webster after being drafted with pick No.27 by Geelong in the 2025 Telstra AFLW Draft. Picture: AFL Photos

Clubs will also be able to lose multiple players via 'expansion free agency', again depending on the sliding scale, with a standard number of two players, a maximum of four players and a minimum of one player able to depart per club.

Tasmania's men's program received its initial list build rules at the start of October and received picks No.1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 as part of its package, with provisions that it must trade at least four first-round selections for established rival talent.

The Devils were also given a $5 million sign-on fund to attract men's players as part of their list concessions, as well as an ability to pre-list the country's best 17-year-old talent through a 'mini draft' system.

Maddy Prespakis and Bonnie Toogood (Essendon), Erin Phillips, Ash Woodland and Gemma Houghton (Port Adelaide), Emily Bates and Greda Bodey (Hawthorn), and Chloe Molloy and Lucy McEvoy (Sydney) all defected as part of the last AFLW expansion.

Bonnie Toogood, Madison Prespakis, Kodi Jacques and Daria Bannister during Essendon's 2023 team photo day at The Hanger. Picture: AFL Photos

Tasmania's AFLW program will also be granted expanded list sizes – with an additional four extra spots able to be utilised across its first three seasons – as part of its initial list build rules.

TASMANIA'S AFLW LIST RULES

  • Up to four additional list spots for Tasmania's first three years.
  • Ability to sign up to 18 players via an expansion free agency model wherein contracted players can elect to opt out of contracts to take up a Devils offer.
  • Clubs can protect a standard number of six contracted players, a maximum of 12 players and a minimum of three players from expansion free agency, with a competitive balance overlay to determine protection numbers.
  • Clubs may not lose more than a standard number of two players, a maximum of four players and a minimum of one player via expansion free agency.
  • Tasmania will be given access to a signing bonus pool of 33 percent of the total player payment in its year of entry, which will be used to attract rival players.
  • Priority access to Tasmanian pathway players for the Devils' first four years, with the traditional bidding system to then be introduced for its fifth season.
  • Picks No.1, 5, 9, 14 and 24, as well as the first pick in each subsequent round of the draft, ahead of Tasmania's first season in the AFLW competition.
  • Picks No.4 and 8, as well as its own picks, ahead of the Devils' second season.
  • Tasmania will be given the rights to sign any player who has previously nominated for an AFLW draft and is not currently on an AFLW list.
  • Expanded rights to sign any players delisted by an existing AFLW clubs from the conclusion of the 2024 season onwards, including currently listed players.
  • A series of the list rules are set to be reviewed from year two onwards, pending Tasmania's success, and are subject to ongoing review by the League.