The 1997 TFL Statewide League premiership season was an Australian rules football competition, staged across Tasmania, Australia over twenty roster rounds and six finals series matches between 12 April and 20 September 1997. This was the twelfth season of statewide football and the League was known as the Cascade-Boags Draught Super League under a dual commercial naming-rights sponsorship agreement with both Cascade Brewery in Hobart and Boag's Brewery in Launceston. At the conclusion of this season four clubs left the competition owing to severe financial problems. Hobart, in debt to the tune of $450,000, were already advised by TFL executives that they would not be granted a renewed licence to continue on in the TFL after this season and decided to join the SFL from 1998, both South Launceston and Launceston continued to find onfield success minimal and were also servicing large debts that looked likely to continue to grow and promptly pulled out of the competition and rejoined the NTFL from 1998 whilst Sandy Bay, unable to find a merger partner, was wound up at season's end and became defunct.
Participating Clubs
Burnie Dockers Football Club
Clarence District Football Club
Devonport Football Club
Glenorchy District Football Club
Hobart Football Club
Launceston Football Club
New Norfolk District Football Club
North Hobart Football Club
North Launceston Football Club
Sandy Bay Football Club
South Launceston Football Club
1997 TFL Statewide League Club Coaches
Peter German (Burnie Dockers) Grant Fagan (Clarence) Max Brown (Devonport Power) Paul Hamilton (Glenorchy) Gary Williamson (Hobart) Michael Lockman (Launceston) Rod Grinter (New Norfolk) John McCarthy (North Hobart) Wes Lewis (North Launceston) Troy Clarke (Sandy Bay) Peter Curran (South Launceston)
TFL Statewide League Reserves Grand Final
Nth Launceston 10.17 (77) v Burnie Dockers 10.9 (69) – North Hobart Oval
TFL Statewide League Colts (Under-19's) Grand Final
Devonport Power 9.16 (70) v Glenorchy 6.11 (47) – North Hobart Oval
Leading Goalkickers: TFL Statewide League
Byron Howard Jnr (Nth Hobart) – 70
Ken Rainsford (Launceston) – 61
Andrew Hering (Burnie Dockers) – 49
Jason Gibson (Nth Launceston) – 44
Medal Winners
Fabian Carelli (Devonport Power) – William Leitch Medal
Danny Noonan (Clarence) – Darrel Baldock Medal (Best player in TFL Grand Final) Paul Hamilton (Glenorchy) – TFL Coaches Award Ted Davis (Nth Launceston) & Brett Smith (Devonport Power) – George Watt Medal (Reserves) David Kamaric (Glenorchy) – V.A Geard Medal (Under-19's)
Interstate Matches
Interstate Match (Saturday, 21 June 1997) Tasmania 19.6 (120) v Westar Rules 10.13 (73) – Att: 3,490 at North Hobart Oval
1997 TFL Statewide League Ladder
Round 1
(Saturday, 12 April 1997) New Norfolk 15.12 (102) v Sandy Bay 10.7 (67) – Att: 1,082 at North Hobart Oval Glenorchy 14.15 (99) v Nth Hobart 7.8 (50) – Att: 1,392 at KGV Football Park Clarence 19.19 (133) v Devonport Power 8.4 (52) – Att: 928 at Bellerive Oval Sth Launceston 19.22 (136) v Hobart 3.2 (20) – Att: 562 at York Park Burnie Dockers 16.8 (104) v Nth Launceston 15.13 (103) – Att: 2,876 at West Park Oval Bye: Launceston.
Round 2
(Saturday, 19 April & Sunday, 20 April 1997) Nth Hobart 11.12 (78) v Sth Launceston 9.8 (62) – Att: 839 at North Hobart Oval Burnie Dockers 12.7 (79) v New Norfolk 8.7 (55) – Att: 1,098 at Boyer Oval Glenorchy 10.12 (72) v Nth Launceston 10.11 (71) – Att: 903 at York Park Devonport Power 19.13 (127) v Launceston 11.12 (78) – Att: 1,047 at Devonport Oval Sandy Bay 29.14 (188) v Hobart 5.7 (37) – Att: 994 at Queenborough Oval (Sunday) Bye: Clarence.
Round 3
(Saturday, 26 April 1997) Clarence 18.8 (116) v Nth Hobart 14.16 (100) – Att: 1,450 at North Hobart Oval Glenorchy 21.30 (156) v Hobart 6.3 (39) – Att: 899 at KGV Football Park New Norfolk 17.15 (117) v Launceston 10.11 (71) – Att: 605 at York Park Devonport Power 17.17 (119) v Sth Launceston 4.6 (30) – Att: 765 at Youngtown Memorial Ground Burnie Dockers 14.7 (91) v Sandy Bay 4.6 (30) – Att: 2,269 at West Park Oval (Night) Bye: Nth Launceston.