TWO months after Tasmania hosted 30 player agents in Hobart for a two-day spruiking session and promised they were about to get busy, the Devils are doing just that.

"I'm literally about to click send right now," Todd Patterson, the Devils' list manager, told AFL.com.au when asked if the club was now in the mode of sending offers to rival players.

"We've finalised our strategy and our list management committee meetings are in full swing. We're now active in the marketplace."

Patterson said the Devils' unbeaten start to the VFL season had buoyed the club, and that player agents hadn't yet raised a delay in the Macquarie Point stadium build as an issue as they get on the hunt to create a team ahead of their arrival in the competition in 2028.

The Devils have a swathe of draft, list and salary cap concessions to work with and have now settled on their long-term list build plan.

"There was urgency, but not a rush with it. We missed some opportunities in the marketplace because we took our time with it, but we wanted to avoid rushing and making mistakes. And now we feel like we're really well placed not only to maximise the opportunity we've got, but also minimise the potential misses," he said. 
 
AFL.com.au can reveal the key elements here.

OUT OF CONTRACT AND FREE AGENT PRIORITIES

THE Devils have settled on their plan to target uncontracted players and free agents over the first two years of their build in 2027 and 2028.

Armed with 11 first-round draft picks over their first three years, as well as other list concessions, Tasmania doesn't want to use the selections in trades for contracted players.

The focus will instead be on attracting free agents or out of contract players, with Tasmania able to lure one per club across the two-year period without having to trade for them. The clubs that lose players will be compensated with draft selections from the AFL.

"It's a clear priority for us to hit the uncontracted and free agent market," Patterson said.

"We've got a lot of draft assets as people know, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to be unnecessarily giving those up for players when there's a pool of available players that we don't need to do that for. So that at the moment is a key focus for us.

"The best strategy is an adaptable one and we're clear that at some point in time during this list build, we're going to have to trade and it'll be on a case-by-case basis. But I don't think we can be too reckless in just trading away five or six draft picks for any single player.

"We won't 100 per cent rule it out. But at this stage it's not in line with our strategy."

The key names in that bracket include Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos, Western Bulldogs forward Sam Darcy and Greater Western Sydney midfielder Finn Callaghan, who are all signed to the end of 2029.

North Melbourne gun Harry Sheezel (signed until 2030) would be another off the list, while Isaac Heeney's contract goes through to the end of 2028, meaning an attempt to prise him out of Sydney wouldn't happen in the Devils' initial year.

"[There's] some incredibly talented players there and I think Tasmanians would be excited to see any of those play for us. But I think at the moment they're probably less of a consideration," Patterson said.

"First and foremost, they are contracted and you'd be staggered if their clubs are willing to let them go. But then secondly, just what it would take from an assets point of view when it comes to both finances and draft picks, it would be highly unlikely at this point in time that's something we'll pursue."

In terms of players who will be out of contract earlier, Giants midfielder Tom Green has previously flagged his openness to consider a Tasmania move and will be a free agent in 2027, while young Lion Logan Morris also looms as a key target for the Devils given his age and contract status (signed until the end of next year).

"We're probably at this stage now given we've got so many less spots to fill. We could be fielding questions all day, every day about, 'Are you into this or are you not into this player?'" Patterson said.

"We're probably not going to go into specifics, but suffice to say, those players amongst many others, I think every club in the competition would be to have them on their playing list."

WILL THE DEVILS BE INVOLVED IN THIS YEAR'S TRADE PERIOD?

GIVEN Tasmania already knows which picks it will hold in next year's draft – No.1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 – and has to trade four of them, there has been a view that the Devils should be involved in this year's trade period.

With the ability to trade picks two years into the future, the 2027 and 2028 markets will be in play this off-season and Tasmania has a grip on both draft intakes.

But the understanding is that the AFL won't be including Tasmania in this year's trade period at this stage.

The Devils are comfortable with that, knowing there will be discussions throughout next year with clubs coming to them to be involved in potential deals, particularly given four of their top picks (No.5, 7, 11 and 13) come with the caveats that they must be traded.

"As we sit here today, my understanding we won't be involved in the trade period (this year)," Patterson said.

"I'm a bit unfussed by it. I think there was probably minimal upside for us, but it did see it as a potential opportunity to maybe try trading player rights or using our draft picks to unlock some trades. I think we would have made some trades substantially easier, but how much that would have benefited us? I'm not 100 per cent sure."

PROGRESS ON KEY UNDER-17 SIGNINGS

BEFORE Tasmania signs any rival players next year, it will have locked in at least half a dozen under-17 talents this year.

The Devils nominated 22 'players of interest' who are draft eligible in 2027 as prospects they would scout this season as part of their access to a maximum of 12 under-17 players across two years.

Two of those – the Port Adelaide-tied pair Louis Salopek and Zemes Pilot – have committed to joining the Power and withdrawn themselves from the Devils' pool, but the likes of Axel Walsh, Jake Miller, Max Thompson, Baxter Sruk, Riley Stratford and Lincoln Brand are all on the radar as possible signings this year.

"Clearly there's been reports around a couple of players ... opting out and I think they're just such unique cases that we respect that. We also understand that that doesn't necessarily mean they won't be Tasmanian players. It just means they won't be via this mechanism. Clearly the bidding system will dictate their futures," Patterson said.

"But otherwise for the 17-year-olds, it's been really pleasing. And it seems that a lot of those players are really chasing the opportunity and in many ways chasing it as a group. I know they're talking to each other, so that's really pleasing."

Patterson said more names would be added to the 'watch list' in coming months, with the signing period set for September.

"We're considering every 17-year-old in the country. So if a player's form is good enough, which we already believe there's a couple, then we'll certainly look to make some additions."