Kangaroos draftee Colby McKercher has vented his frustration over being asked about leaving the club for the new Tasmanian club barely hours after he was picked.
The Tasmanian native was taken with the No.2 pick and was one of three players from the state to be selected in the first round of the AFL draft on Monday night.
There has been plenty of speculation over which players would join the Tasmanian team when it enters the competition in 2028, but McKercher doesn’t have any imminent plans to go back home.
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“I get a lot of it,” McKercher told SEN of the Tasmanian links.
“I just got drafted and somebody already asked me if I was looking forward to going home and playing for Tassie. I’m like, ‘Seriously, I just got drafted to a club’.
“Honestly, ideally I’d be at North Melbourne forever. I’d really be happy if people squashed that and just let me enjoy a new start to my life and being in a new state.”
The 18-year-old may not want to go back home, but expressed his pride at the talent coming out of his home state.
”It’s awesome. I’m super proud of the boys who got picked up last night,” he said of the draftees hailing from the Apple Isle.
“Hopefully we’ll have a few more to come over the next two days.
“There is a bit of a buzz in Tassie at the moment and I hope all the young kids watching back home are somewhat inspired and feel as if it’s a real dream that can happen for Tasmanians.
“It will be really good to see more get drafted in the future.”