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He's the 202-centimetre 17-year-old West Australian, who was the raging favourite to be taken at pick No.1 in next year's AFL draft.
The Tasmania Devils Football Club announced its first lot of signings at an event in Hobart this week, as momentum for their AFL debut builds.
The Tasmania Devils have unveiled their first ever AFL players, with eight of the best teenage footballers from across Australia. What's next? The players have committed to Tasmania early, forgoing the spotlight of next year's national draft, ahead of the Devils entering the national league in 2028. He's the 202-centimetre 17-year-old West Australian, who was the raging favourite to be taken at pick No.1 in next year's AFL draft.
His name is Axel Walsh, and if Tasmanians are unfamiliar with the baby-faced beanpole, they won't be for much longer. Walsh is one of eight elite 17-year-old footballers who have been pre-listed by the Tasmania Devils, a year ahead of when they were due to be drafted, as part of the club's bespoke list concessions. And if he turns out to be half as good as his football heroes, the Devils have a superstar on their hands.
"I think a lot of people would go Luke Jackson," he said, when asked what his closest AFL player comparison would be. "But someone I've always looked up to is Max Gawn. You see the success he's had, and I've looked up to him as a leader off the field as well.
" Axel Walsh has family connections in Tasmania, which he says made it an easy choice to accept the Devils' offer. It was an easy decision for Walsh to accept the Devils' invitation to join the team, a year ahead of his official draft year. With an aunty, uncle and three cousins residing in the Hobart suburb of Glenorchy, Walsh already considered himself "somewhat Tasmanian" before signing on.he said.
Walsh said he got "goosebumps" at Tuesday night's draft style event in Hobart, where he and seven other young guns were unveiled as the Devils' first ever AFL listed players. He said he was struck by a club-produced hype video that chronicled Tasmania's football history, previous failed bids for an AFL team, and the importance of the state's famous "map" insignia.
"It's very important. The people of the island have wanted that for a long time so to have the opportunity to wear that on the jumper, it's very special and something I'm looking forward to," he said.
"It was a bit of goosebumps watching it; 1866 was where it all started, here we are in 2026, so it's feeling real now with the first eight being signed. "ABC News: Owain Stia JamesWalsh was the first player unveiled on Tuesday, and is the highest profile player of the initial crop. "I'm really competitive. I want to win, and I hate losing," he said.
"I feel like pressure is a privilege, and we have that pressure because of the opportunity we've been given. It's a mindset reinforced by Devils' list boss, Todd Patterson. ABC News: Owain Stia James"Some of them might only have one kick in the VFL. That's OK.
We just need to be patient with their development timelines. Walsh and his seven new teammates will split their time between the Devils' VFL, the Tasmanian under 18s, the gym, studying and visiting their home states next year. Patterson was part of the team that lured the club's first players south — a process that started earlier this year with the delivery of "letters of interest" to about two dozen of the country's best under 18 players.
Each player will make about $150,000 next year, having penned four-year contracts with the club. ABC News: Owain Stia James"What they earn, what they'll end up earning and all that stuff, we are thinking about that and the strategy — but I think we could have offered them one dollar, and they would have been here," he said. Each player signed has unique on- and off-field attributes.
Victorian Jake Miller is already a quasi-Tasmanian, boasting an impressive golf swing and having a mother who works for Cadbury. Fellow Victorian midfielder Griffin Barker's highlight reel showcases a player who has perfected the "don't argue" — his favourite players are Harley Reid and Dustin Martin. While on-baller Baxter Sruk accepted his Devils guernsey as AC/DC's Thunderstruck blasted throughout the venue. For another Victorian — gun small forward Angus Brown — moving to Tasmania was never a given.
"I wasn't in the initial interest letter back in the start of the year, I had to work my way up and find a patch of form," he said. "I found out in May there was a letter of interest and then I pursued an interview with Derek Hine.
" Even then, there was an element of trepidation for the Victorian who has placed an emphasis on finishing year 12, and pursuing higher education in tandem with a flourishing career in the AFL. "The club has been open and flexible about my studying and pursuits academically, so that's probably my biggest thing. It was theMomentum for the Devils is growing, boosted by their VFL and VFLW debuts this year.
"The development opportunity here is something you're not going to get at any other club. "The sell is the experience, the dedication to the program and development was the biggest thing. ""Something I pride myself on, is that while I'm not the biggest on the field, I think I have the biggest heart when I'm out there playing," he said.
Afl Vfl Signings Tasmania Afl Tassie Afl Footy Axel Walsh Jake Miller Angus Brown Baxter Sruk Riley Stratford Griffin Barker Nate Jenkins
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