Nick's Collingwood Bulletin Board

Like to see gws and Gold Coast merge so bringing it to 17 then add a Tassie team in to make it 18
Still would like a team from New Zealand and like add an international aspect to the AFL
But could work
I see Tasmania we have to wait till 2028 for the teams first season

If Ireland was closer to Australia I’ll have a team there in a heartbeat

There'll be no mergers or relocations, not any more.

The big question is, where the 20th team will come from. I favour Darwin personally, but all their home games would need to be night games. Up there, our winter is their cricket season and they play footy in our summer.

All buzz, no hive.

Everything smacks of rushed and top down planning. If this gets off the ground on the current proposal I'll be amazed.

The AFL, the Tas Gov't won't want to take on a $250m + budget blow-out.
That costs votes and a loss of Gov't.
And an incumbent AFL CEO wouldn't want that on their CV either.

If anything, they should move the AFL academy down there and start re-building the grass roots competition, so the feed from the State is ready to go by 2028.
Play the National AFL Under 16 Championships in Hobart and Launceston.
Shift the draft combine down there.
Shift the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Squad members training programs and competition at various times throughout the course of their scholarship to Hobart.
Even consider a period of boarding at some of the schools for a term or two to get the juniors used to being away from home.

They could also pitch for several other academies to be moved to the region e.g. hockey, netball, soccer to ensure the hub remains lively.

If they're going to want players to move there, they have to get them used to the environment. Imagine on draft day you get picked by the Devils and you'd never been there.

Closer to finals than Carlton.