The 1986 TFL Statewide League premiership season was an Australian rules football competition, staged across Tasmania over 18 roster rounds and six finals series matches between 5 April and 20 September 1986.
This was the inaugural season of statewide football and the League was known as the Cascade-Boags Statewide League under a dual commercial naming-rights sponsorship agreement worth $205,000 with both Cascade Brewery in Hobart and Boag's Brewery in Launceston.
In a season of great change in the landscape of Tasmania football, the TANFL took its first steps in becoming a statewide competition.
The six original TANFL clubs were joined by the North Launceston Robins and the East Launceston Demons from the NTFA.
The season got underway on 5 April with the previous season's grand finalists (Clarence and Glenorchy) doing battle at North Hobart while at KGV Football Park, Richard Spencer's East Launceston confounded the critics after disastrous pre-season form with a sensational 4-point victory over Peter Hudson's Hobart, who were touted by the critics as the big improvers for the season.
East, along with North Launceston and financially crippled New Norfolk (who had debts of $372,000 and who almost went into receivership over the summer) were not expected to challenge for a finals appearance.
Indeed, East Launceston and North Launceston were continuing to field senior teams in both the TFL Statewide League and NTFA competitions until East Launceston merged with fellow NTFA club City-South on 26 May 1986 and the merged club adopted the Bulldogs emblem and colours, playing on for the future as South Launceston.
Round 15 would see the entire round of football postponed due to heavy snowfalls across the state, Hobart receiving its heaviest snowfalls in the city since 1921, this was the first time a TANFL/TFL roster round had been cancelled since 1976.
Throughout the season the Andy Bennett-led Sandy Bay would sweep all before them to take top position on 60 points (15 wins), one game clear of Clarence.
Glenorchy would suffer from injury problems for much of the season but were able to grind out eleven wins to keep them in third spot, while Hobart would suffer from much inconsistency throughout the season, despite strong mid-season form seeing them sitting in the top-four, the Tigers were battered with injuries late in the season themselves and their promising showing amounted to very little as they were comprehensively smashed in their final three matches.
North Hobart, who had been on the cusp of a grand final appearance for the past two seasons had a strong start to the season, but with the hospitalisation and subsequent retirement of captain-coach Darryl Sutton, stand-in coach Colin Tully had much work to do in revitalising a depleted Demon outfit.
Glenorchy, despite losing to lowly New Norfolk in their final roster match would hit form in the second half of the Qualifying final to post a 39-point win over Clarence, the following day North Hobart ran rampant after quarter time to thrash Hobart by 70-points in the Elimination Final and book a date with Clarence at KGV in the First Semi Final, but the Roos held sway in the end after a tight first three-quarters to win by 30-points.
Sandy Bay would win their final twelve roster matches to go into the finals full of confidence in winning their first flag since 1978, the Seagulls ran away from Glenorchy to take the Second Semi Final by 27-points and advance to the Grand Final.
Fierce rivals Glenorchy and Clarence would battle it out in the Preliminary Final, the Magpies doing the damage in the second quarter with six goals to one and continuing on with the job in the second half to win by 42-points.
The Grand Final would be a fiery one, with nine reports (eight of them Sandy Bay players) as Glenorchy unsettled the Seagulls and completely ruffled them, the Magpies would end Sandy Bay's 13-match winning streak in emphatic style, leading at every change to win by 32-points.
The Glenorchy Football Club completed the most dominant season in TFL history by winning the premiership in all grades.
In early May, TFL President David Smith met with both Cooee and Burnie Tigers Football Clubs at an open meeting at the Burnie Athletic Club to discuss the possibility of the two clubs amalgamating to form a single entity representing the then township of Burnie (it gained City status in 1988), joining their coastal cousin Devonport, who had already been accepted into the competition for 1987.
The general consensus of the meeting was that neither club were keen to merge with each other and accordingly, both sets of members voted against it.
Burnie were not keen to take on Cooee's $100,000 debt in joining the competition, despite countless meetings it was agreed to let both clubs apply to join and eventually, Cooee would change their name, colours and playing jumper to the Burnie Hawks and would be granted a licence to join the competition from 1987, starting an enormous war between the two clubs that would ultimately hold football back in the city for many years after.
Launceston Football Club would also apply to join the competition but were knocked back by the TFL.
The bidding wars were starting between Councils for the right to become the home of TFL football in the future.
Bids were made by Hobart City, Glenorchy, Clarence and Kingborough Councils to build suitable venues to host big TFL matches and other events in the future.
Kingborough Council announced plans to build a $2.8 million facility near Huntingfield if Sandy Bay would relocate to the region, the date for completion was set to be by 1988/89 with a capacity of 13,000.
Glenorchy City Council announced plans to work with the TFL and the TCA in a partnership to fund a $4.3 million redevelopment of KGV Football Park to become the home of Tasmanian football and cricket.
The development would include TV-standard lighting, corporate facilities for both organisations with 60 VIP boxes and a final capacity of 27,500 on completion.
During the season Clarence would play a majority of their home matches at North Hobart Oval owing to the Bellerive Oval being renovated as the main cricket stadium in Hobart and Sandy Bay would return home permanently to Queenborough after playing home games at North Hobart Oval since 1983.
The TFL also tried to force New Norfolk to play its home matches at KGV Football Park due to poor crowds at the dilapidated Boyer Oval, but Eagles fans boycotted the two matches in protest, with crowds of 470 and 610 forcing the TFL to rethink their decision.
Meanwhile, North Hobart Football Club would receive a $30,000 sponsorship from Schweppes as the strong corporate support continued for the League.
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