Latest news with #Rum'un
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AFL's Tasmania expansion on a knife edge amid state political uncertainty
The proposed stadium at Hobart's Macquarie Point has become a sticking point for some in the AFL's expansion into Tasmania. The proposed stadium at Hobart's Macquarie Point has become a sticking point for some in the AFL's expansion into Tasmania. Photograph: Cox Architecture The AFL's expansion into Tasmania is on a knife edge as the state's politicians consider a move to oust premier Jeremy Rockliff, which would trigger a shake up and potentially torpedo the Devils' plans to join the league. The Devils on Wednesday said the political uncertainty was cause for 'great concern' and presented 'a serious risk … for the future of Tasmania Football Club'. Advertisement The club, which has already attracted 210,000 members, is due to enter the competition in 2028 under an agreement with the AFL, and move into the newly complete venue on the Hobart waterfront the following year. Related: Ferocious, cheeky or 'nightmare fuel'? Meet Rum'un, Tasmania's new AFL mascot One of the conditions set by the AFL for a new team in Tasmania was a roofed stadium, but the expensive project – set to cost around $1bn – faces opposition from some in Tasmania, who instead have called for the money to be spent elsewhere. The Greens have declared they support a motion of no-confidence in the premier put forward by Labor's opposition leader Dean Winter. Advertisement In Parliament on Wednesday morning, Greens leader Dr Rosalie Woodruff called for the motion to explicitly mention the government's handling of the stadium. But Winter responded by saying he would not support the amendment, and the no-confidence motion was focused on the state of the budget. In a dramatic day in Hobart, Devils' head of corporate affairs Kath McCann was emotional at a press conference as she described there is no 'plan B' to renegotiate the deal with the AFL. 'It'd be fair to say that the level of uncertainty would be significantly heightened, and in fact, some of those scenarios don't beg thinking about for the club here today,' McCann said, via the ABC. Advertisement 'The optics nationally and internationally are really negative for Tasmania, what this looks like is uncertainly, a risk to invest and a state that isn't unified.' The Devils had earlier taken the unusual step of offering a public statement amidst the political uncertainty. 'We ask that our political leaders understand the implications of their actions and decisions on the future of our state for all Tasmanians, a future which we know Tasmania Football Club can play a significant part,' it said. On Tuesday in Melbourne, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the competition had already been planning for the weekly bye for one team that would come with entry of the Devils as 19th team, and anticipated the stadium's enabling legislation would be discussed in the lower house later this month and the upper house early in July. 'The Tasmanian government and [Devils CEO] Brendon Gale and the Tassie Devils have done a power of work and we're really confident in 2028,' he said.
The Guardian
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ferocious, cheeky or ‘nightmare fuel'? Meet Rum'un, Tasmania's new AFL mascot
A 'cheeky' Tasmanian devil that poos out footballs, growls like Nosferatu and is covered in papier-mache-like recycled fur has been unveiled as the new mascot of the state's long-awaited AFL team. Rum'un, which translates to Tasmanian slang for 'an odd or eccentric person; a scallywag, or someone cheeky' in the Macquarie Dictionary, made his debut as the Tasmania Devils' latest recruit at an event on Tuesday evening. He sashayed down the catwalk at Hobart's Theatre Royal with a slow run-up before bending down and emitting a 'Rum'un' roar, echoed with delight by attendees. 'I've got a very sneaking suspicion that this move is going to catch on,' the host, Jack Riewoldt, told the crowd, as the Devil launched into side-stepping dance to the backing of drums. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'Bit of Raygun there from Rum'un, you beauty!' Riewoldt cheered. Rum'un was developed in partnership with the Tasmania-based Terrapin Puppet Theatre and input from schoolchildren across the island. His fur is made from recycled school polo shirts, track pants and disused backpacks. Lead maker Bryony Anderson said it was an 'unusual pairing' for Terrapin Puppet Theatre but the club was 'game to do it differently'. The nine-month long process started with a visit to a local wildlife sanctuary, discussing devil physiology, their threat to survival and what makes the animal unique. Anderson then visited 10 schools with green uniforms and received donations, which led to a week at a New Norfolk high school where students helped turn the items into strips of fur, which were sown on to the creature. It was a request from the students that Rum'un would do custom poos of the feathers or fur of opposing teams. 'The team will go out with all the stories of the schools built in [to the mascot],' Anderson said. 'We wanted it to be ferocious and punchy, not just big foam heads. We were told 'don't make it look like the Wiggles'.' Pointing to a article with the headline 'Australia horrified as Tasmanian team's mascot causes frenzy', Anderson said 'in Tasmania, there's quite a few people that'll be chuffed with that'. In coming weeks, Rum'un will embark on a tour across Tasmania, meeting communities across the island and representing the club before its planned AFL men's debut in 2028. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The Tasmania Football Club chief executive, Brendon Gale, said the new recruit would 'be a great beacon of our club across the state'. 'The creation of Rum'un reflects our club – uniquely Tasmanian, handcrafted and created with grit and determination representing our whole island,' he said. 'Rum'un is also a little bit cheeky. These characteristics are all true to the Tasmania Football Club, a club that represents our whole state and who does things our way.' Social media users had a mixed reaction to Rum'un. 'It's a pinata,' one TikTok user commented on a video which showed the devil ingesting and excreting an AFL football. 'That mascot is actually nightmare fuel,' another said, 'kids are going to be terrified'. 'This is legitimately cool. All the people cringing at it aren't having fun, but I am!' another user commented, while one simply said: 'That's fucked. I love it.' The release of the name and look of the mascot comes a year after the Tasmania FC revealed its club name and colours. The club has attracted 207,000 founding members before its AFL launch. On Tuesday, the Devils refreshed their $10 membership offer which attracted significant support last year.
