They can sell games where they like. They might be a Queensland based team, but they are under no obligation to represent all of QLD anymore than the Giants are to represent anymore than Sydney.If we are trying to grow the game in Queensland, wouldn’t it make sense for the Queensland team (GC) to be playing games in Queensland? If GC want to sell home games, play in Cairns and Townsville or Mackay.
Rotate all clubs through Darwin once we get a second neutral round (10 games actually) in 2028 with 19 teams playing 24.
Four games in Darwin, four in Canberra, one in NZ, one in Albury or Coffs Harbour. Return all GSW games to Sydney.
They're a Gold Coast team, the moment they stop playing games in Darwin is the moment they may as well move all their home games to GC.
By that stage, they won't need the NT academy, but for now, they seem to be enjoying its perks, while turning Darwin into a fortress for themselves.
You know what else helps grow the club? Winning games of footy, which they do in Darwin.
The AFL will have an easier time with GC than with Western Sydney, I agree with you that WS is going to be a tough market to crack. If ACT doesn't get the 20th licence, it'd be a hell of a lot easier to move GWS to ACT than a Vic club if the Giants are still pulling 7-8k people per game in 10 years time.
There is no Southport equivalent local club with a long history in Western Sydney.
In hindsight, the AFL should've let the Roys move to Canberra, brought in Tassie decades ago, promoted a rebranded Southport as club 19, and brought in a 3rd WA club over a decade ago that would've grown well by now.
Then we wouldn't be talking about an NT or NQ club for a long time, as no one on earth would want to go beyond 20 teams now, given the reluctance to even go past 18 now.
Anyway, if the Suns want to stay in Darwin, let them, and the Hawks can play a game or two in Cairns instead. They can swap if the Suns want to move to NQ but I'm confident that when the Suns do leave Darwin, they won't have a secondary market anymore.
I expect their Darwin contract to be extended by at least 3 years.