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When the AFL opened the issue of expansion it was very clear who the front runners were for the next set of licenses.
But it was also clear the AFL and the general footy public were not on the same page – Andrew Demetriou wanted Gold Coast and West Sydney in that order and the footballing public, for the most part, wanted Tasmania and whoever else was ready to avoid a bye.
Andy D got his way, as we all knew he would despite hoping for the contrary, and the Tasmania bid, which had a guernsey, a sponsor, a petition and the weight of all the best wishes from the Aussie Rules fraternity, seemed to slip meekly away.
All we’ve heard on the issue of a team in Tasmania since then is that it’s all just too hard. The North Melbourne/Hobart deal and the Hawks/Launceston deal have all but shut the door on any possibility of a bid being successful.
I’m sorry Tassie, but it’s time you grew some stones, and soon, because a window might well have appeared for you to force your way in.
Melbourne is the AFL’s current basket case. Last year it was Port Adelaide, so bad they were readily compared to Fitzroy in 95/96. A few years ago it was North Melbourne, who was in so perilous a position they were offered big money to relocate, ala South Melbourne.
While history has shown us that both Port and North have climbed the ladder and executed some remarkable off-field recoveries (especially Port Adelaide who currently have a club high 40,000 members), it is also littered with examples where the battler was removed in favour of a much stronger, more viable option.
In the AFL, Fitzroy was the incumbent and a strong brand in Brisbane the alternative, as was Sydney for South Melbourne.
One could argue the A-League faced a similar no-brainer when considering whether to keep North Queensland and then Gold Coast despite their issues, while a tantalising alternative option was sitting on a plate in West Sydney, smothered in herbs and spices and ready to be devoured.
In the NRL, expansion has become the talk around the water cooler in earnest for the first time since before the Super League war. And there is a famous NRL entity which is clearly grasping the concept I am peddling.
North Sydney, now the Central Coast Bears, was a team who fell pretty from the tree after the Super League-ARL merger, unable to find either a suitable merger (other than hated neighbors Manly) or prove financial viability in the big league.
However, they never disappeared; instead they joined the New South Wales Cup, kept working hard, and are currently very loudly spruiking their credentials in the hope of rejoining the big leagues.
They have a jersey, a stadium in waiting, 7,000+ members, and are very clear about rejoining the comp.
They have made themselves too good an option to readily ignore. As of right now, they are more than just an option for future expansion; they are a ‘just add water’ NRL team.
Should (and I sincerely mean this as a hypothetical) the Cronulla Sharks fall over, whether it be from financial issues or the ASADA drugs scandal, the Bears are sitting pretty for their spot.
Should Melbourne (again I speak completely hypothetically) cease to struggle under the weight of mismanagement and mounting debt and fold or merge, there would be a wide open window for a team to exploit. Tasmania needs to be in that position!
If the AFL had a viable alternative to Melbourne, or the Western Bulldogs, or any other struggling club who hits the point of no return, perhaps they would be more likely to make the move and replace them.
Currently, no such option exists, leaving the AFL, bound by it’s lucrative five year TV rights deal, to prop up these clubs to keep them fighting on.
It’s far more likely that the AFL will continue to maintain and prop up heartland clubs (and well they should). But Tasmania, if it is serious about having a team in the AFL, should be looking for every opportunity to impress, and jumping on every chance to move in another team’s turf.
In the short term, a strong and willing front presented by Tassie might do little but to annoy the AFL into giving them kudos, but long term it will put them in a prime position.
In five years, when the current TV rights deal runs out, Tassie will need to be, just like the Bears are currently, champing at the bit to enter the big league.
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