League insiders believe the strong support for the Liberals in the state election on Saturday removes any notion the new AFL team and controversial stadium is unpopular with the majority of Tasmanians.

Despite the swing in the Liberals’ favour, a minority government remains the most likely result, with the Liberals needing to rely on crossbenchers to form government. It means the passage of legislation to allow work to begin on the Macquarie Point Stadium – a condition of entry for the AFL’s 19th team – remains uncertain.

Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff has been a fierce backer of the stadium. On Saturday night, he said he intended to form a government in the new parliament, although observers said it may take two weeks of negotiation and wrangling before the government is formed.

Labor leader Dean Winter, who called the no-confidence motion that forced the election, has not ruled out the prospect of forming government with the support of the Greens. The ALP supports the stadium and the Devils’ timeline for entry into the AFL in 2028.

The two parties that support the stadium received 66 per cent of the first preference votes as of Saturday night, but the allocation of seats under the Hare-Clark system will not be known until preferences are sorted and postal votes counted.

However, league sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the election gave supporters of the stadium a mandate to continue the process of building the infrastructure necessary for a new team to play in the AFL in 2028.

The AFL has maintained its “no stadium, no team” position throughout.

The uncertainty that still surrounds the process meant the Devils’ hierarchy was cautious in a public statement released on Sunday. But the statement made clear they were still optimistic that the initial timeline would be met.