THE DEVILS are on the verge of signing their first batch of players, with the club flying seven under-17s prospects into Tasmania this week for final interviews.
The Devils will confirm their first official signings days after this year's AFL Grand Final at a gala launch night in Hobart on Tuesday, September 29, which will be treated as their version of a draft event.
But the wheels are well in motion for the club to take its first seven players, with the group of prospects invited to Tasmania this week with their families and contracts set to be offered.
The deals will be four years, including next year on top of the standard three-year deals for top-20 picks in the draft.
Top West Australian talent Axel Walsh, who spearheads the group of future Devils, has already landed in Tasmania ahead of the Devils' next step of the process, while the group of six Victorian prospects are set to head there on Wednesday.
They are Sandringham Dragons pair Angus Brown and Riley Stratford, Western Jets duo Jake Miller and Griffin Barker, Calder Cannons tall Nate Jenkins and Eastern Ranges midfielder Baxter Sruk.
The group of prospects have been told they will meet with coach Ken Hinkley, with many having already been in online interviews with the Devils coach alongside recruiters in recent weeks, while they will also get a tour of the club's future facilities and home.
The appetite for players to be a part of the first batch of Devils has been strong from the start of the year, when the Devils first landed on their prospective names in contention for the spots.
The under-17 selections are players who would be eligible for next year's draft and are a key plank of the Devils' list build, with the club able to take 12 over two years, with a maximum of eight in either year.
The players are set to feature in the under-17s futures game at the MCG on Grand Final morning, which will be the last game the Devils' recruiting team will have to watch the under-17s draft pool.
The Devils could look to add an eighth name to the intake for this year if any starring performances happen over the next fortnight, but the list of prospects heading to Tasmania this week are viewed as all but guarantees.