In the early 90s, Fitzroy was the first AFL club to play a premiership game in our southernmost state.

Two decades later, the Tasmanian connection remains strong at the Brisbane Lions.

Josh Green, Ryan Harwood and Aaron Cornelius were all born and bred in Van Diemens Land before relocating North to pursue football full-time.

Green says they were all mates before being drafted to the Lions.

“All three of us are Hobart boys,” he explains.

“I knew Ace (Cornelius) through footy from about 16; our fathers actually worked together.”

“I played under 18s with Ryan Harwood for a while, and he and Ace were on the same team growing up, so we all knew each other pretty well.”

The state’s renowned for its icy weather, and Harwood reasons the conditions dictate the way the game’s played in Tassie.

“As everybody knows, it’s bloody freezing down there!” he laughs.

“The style of footy is different it's very tough and hard because it’s always cold and wet. There are more tackles and it’s a more congested sort of game.”

Green agrees, but says the overall standard of games is mixed.

“Compared to the NEAFL, the top sides from Tassie go pretty well, but the lower sides get blown away; there isn’t the depth there that there is up here,” he says.

The quality of play might not match that of the mainland, but there’s no doubt Australian Rules is the sport of choice.

It’s widely believed that in the 1860s Tasmania was the first place Aussie Rules was played outside of Victoria, and today the state’s participation per capita is the second-highest in the country.

“Footy is a religion in Tassie, everybody loves it!” exclaims Green.

“The only other sports that get a look in are cricket and soccer, Union and League are basically non-existent which is great!”

While Green acknowledges criticism levelled at Taswegians is inevitable, he’s a little mystified that many of the knockers have never ventured far South.

“A lot of people bag it; the old two heads joke, the cold, the fact we’re a bit behind the times and all that,” says Green. “But anybody who’s actually been there knows how nice it is.”

Both Green and Harwood are adamant they’ll return to the Apple Isle permanently post-football, and Harwood also wants to visit as much as possible during his playing career.

 “I go back a few times a year but it’d be great to be able to play there much more often; I love the cold and I love Tassie!” he enthuses.