DUAL premiership midfielder Josh Dunkley and NSW-based stars Tom Green and Errol Gulden loom large among the players that the Tasmania Devils are likely to target ahead of their planned AFL debut in 2028.

The established trio of stars will be joined on the Devils' wish list by Western Bulldogs young gun Ryley Sanders and North Melbourne midfielder Colby McKercher, both of whom hail from Tasmania, according to Cal Twomey and Riley Beveridge.

Speaking on AFL.com.au's trade and draft show Gettable, Twomey said Lions gun Dunkley was an ideal candidate to add depth and experience to the Devils' inaugural squad.

"[Dunkley] will be 31 at the end of 2028. He's already won two premierships at two different clubs. He might have done it all. He might have won a second premiership with Brisbane by then, maybe even a third. Is he the type of player that can take on the Chad Cornes, Luke Power, James McDonald type of role?" Twomey said, referring to the three veterans recruited by GWS ahead of its 2012 debut.

"He might be right in the hitting zone to take a couple of years, be a leader, set the standards (and he) comes from country Victoria.

"These are the type of characters and personalities I think that Tasmania will be targeting. Those type of guys that maybe haven't always lived and grown up in metropolitan cities who might be open to change."

Twomey said Sanders and McKercher – both top-10 selections in the 2023 AFL Draft – were the "big ones".

"Sanders is going to have to make a call on [his future] at some point this year, if he wants to hold off [on signing a contract extension]," Twomey said.

"I think he'd be keen to do it, and open to doing an extra year at the moment. So far, the [Western Bulldogs] have been open to doing longer than that … he could still do two more years and still be eligible for this Tasmania assault."

McKercher played for Tasmania in the Coates Talent League, prior to being drafted at pick No.2 by North Melbourne.

"I think there's going to be a real push to get one of these guys back there, if not both." Twomey said.

"And Sanders, if you speak to people in Tasmania who know him well, will be someone who will have to listen to it."

Beveridge said Giants midfield star Green is also one to watch and has made no secret that he's open to conversations about making a move.

Green signed a four-year deal back in 2023, taking him through to free agency in 2027.

"He's spoken so openly around being like, 'Yeah, come and chase me. I'll see what I'll do. I don't know what I'm going to be thinking in 2027'," Beveridge said on Gettable.

"He's going to be one of those guys [to watch]. He could be the best player in the competition by the time they roll around and they're ready to enter the competition."

Although Tasmania isn't scheduled to make its official entrance into the AFL until 2028, decisions about players' futures will need to be made soon, as clubs are eagerly pushing for their players to sign extensions.

'The 2024, 2025 first-round picks will all be eligible as free agents if they hold off signing," Twomey said.

"If you're in this year's draft, you hold off for a while and back yourself in to get a really good deal when it comes to Tasmania."