News

THE SANFL will not explore a suggestion to bring in a Northern Territory-based team until a prior commitment with the Tassie Devils has been fully explored.

The NTFL sent the SANFL and WA Football Commission an "information" document last month saying it wanted to field a NT representative team in the Adelaide or Perth-based state leagues.

However, AFL-Tasmania, the AFL and the SANFL are in discussions aimed at the Tassie Devils joining the SANFL in 2009 if it feels disadvantaged by the outcome of the AFL's review into football in Victoria.

SANFL chief executive Leigh Whicker said the league would not consider two proposals at once.

"We owe it to Tasmania. We've made a commitment to Tasmania and the AFL to look at the possibility of a Tasmanian team joining our competition," said Whicker, who has "kept the AFL fully briefed". "We respect the AFL-NT's initiative but you can't go down the track with another proposal until you've exhausted all options on the first one."

Carlton chairman and millionaire businessman Richard Pratt has given "in principle" commitment to help fund the $1.2 million required for the mixed-race team, to play in Darwin and Alice Springs.

NTFL chief executive Tony Fawley said: "It's just an expression of interest at this stage."

He expected to have a firm proposal, including finances for a five-year commitment, to present to Pratt within eight weeks.

Whicker will table the AFL-NT's document at the SA Football Commission next Tuesday. The SANFL has explored bringing in an NT team several times since 2000 but every time the finances "fell way short", Whicker said.

"The worst thing we could do is bring in a team and it falls over in three years," he said. "We have to look at on-going funding and make it very clear that any incoming team, if that was to happen, was a long-term proposal."