Former AFL chief Gillon McLachlan remains bullish that the Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart will be built and the Tassie Devils expansion side will come into existence.

Debate surrounding the 23,000 seat roofed stadium has raged on for multiple years now, and even led to a snap state election in Tasmania, given it will likely cost $1b to build.

However, if it is not built, there will be no team. The provisional licence, which McLachlan himself negotiated, is contingent on the building of the shiny new venue in Hobart.

Tasmanian politicians from the Greens and other parties met with new AFL second in command Tom Harley in October, hoping the league would budge on the stadium requirement. No ground was given.

The stadium does have bipartisan support in Tasmanian state politics, but th

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