Move to the Gold Coast

And they won't do it.

The situation facing North right now is similar to what was facing Fitzroy at the start of the 1990's. By 1997 Fitzroy was gone. That is what faces North Melbourne now if they try to stay in Melbourne. I've been saying for some time now that Victoria is overpopulated with elite level clubs. Tradition had to be laid aside for the sake of the club's survival. Fitzroy didn't do it and where are they now? A little administrative body doing nothing more than maintaining memories, supporting the Fitzroy Reds and making little bits and pieces of inroads into their massive debt. Most of the Lions supporters are behind Brisbane. It's the same with South Melbourne. The fans are now following Sydney - which unlike Brisbane is the same club.

North needed to draw on the Fitzroy experience. It isn't to the point that they have to shift to the VFL yet. But now they may have to in the not too distant future. Remember that Fitzroy had the chance to shift to Carrara for the 1987 season - but they didn't do it. And master dunderhead Leon Wiegard later admitted that was a mistake. We would never have seen the Brisbane Bears. And what did Fitzroy do in 1986? Made the preliminary final. What did North do in 2007? Same thing!

One entity will be keen to nab the license now. The Southport Sharks. Their financial position is the envy of a number of AFL clubs. It would have been prudent for North to not only effect the move - but also enter into an arrangement with Southport for their seconds. Brisbane's seconds do OK, especially since they started working with parts of what remained of the Maroochydore club (the on field part merged with North Shore in the lower reaches of the state league). There are a lot of positives for a move north. But it seems the Kangaroos have put their hearts ahead of their heads.

This is the thing about 17 teams - and this would have the other 15 clubs up in arms. The effect on the salary cap and the draft. Eddie McGuire has made no secret of the fact that Brisbane benefited big time from draft concessions, and he could see that happening to Southport as well. And it's a fair call to when you consider the on field struggle the Bears had before they shifted from Cararra to the Gabba in 1993. Of course comparing the makeshift Bears to the financially established Sharks is like comparing boiled lollies to chocolates.

I don't want a 17 team competition. North had the chance to make sure that didn't happen and they blew it. They should have made the correct business decision to preserve the future of the club. And the correct decision was without a doubt to pack, leave Arden Street and head north.