MORE than 20 under-17s players have been named in the initial list of prospects Tasmania can interview as part of its access to signing players this year ahead of the 2027 draft.

The likes of father-son prospects Koby Bewick (Essendon) and Louis Salopek (Port Adelaide), West Australian tall Axel Walsh, Eastern Ranges talent Baxter Sruk and Bendigo Pioneers small forward Max Thompson are in the first group of players eligible for the 2027 draft that have been nominated by the Devils as "players of interest".

The Devils have access to sign a total of 12 17-year-old players across the 2026-27 drafts a year before they reach draft age, in similar rules that saw Greater Western Sydney select Jeremy Cameron and Adam Treloar and Gold Coast list Mav Weller and Trent McKenzie. 

On Friday the League wrote to clubs with rules regarding the access the Devils will have to the group, including granting them permission to interview the nominated under-17 players, including home visits. 

Usually only players in their under-18 draft year are able to undertake psychometric data assessments, but the group of 17-year-olds approved by the AFL will also do those tests by the League, and they will also be invited to upcoming pre-season physical testing events being run in the next few weeks around the country in their states. 

The list of around 25 players started to receive letters of notification on Friday, with the Devils able to submit them and access players linked to rival clubs as father-sons, Next Generation Academy and northern Academy products. 

Tasmania will also be able to adjust the list through the year, with the nominations fluid pertaining to form and interest from both the club and the potential players.

For example, promising tall Walsh shapes as a No.1 contender for next year's draft but in discussions the Devils could opt out of the 2027 draft pool and instead sign him as a 17-year-old this year and commit on a four-year deal (including 2027 and then three years after that). 

But the 17-year-olds can also choose not to go to the Devils in this window and instead enter the open draft pool in 2027. 

The AFL and Tasmania are also in talks with the AFL Players' Association to grant nominated players the ability to sign with an agent earlier than the current regulations allow (usually not allowed until a player's 18th year).  

The Devils will have a window in September where they are able to officially sign their 17-year-old group.