Always wondered how the AFL would have developed if Australian Football was the dominate code of football in all states right from the beginning to the present.
So my timeline goes like this:
In time VFL goes into Tasmania while NSW takes the top QLD teams.
Then VFL and SANFL merge to compete with the powerful NSW/QLD League
Eventually in 2000 AFL is formed:
6 from VIC
6 from NSW
4 from SANFL
4 from WAFL
3 from QLD
1 from ACT
1 from TAS
Clubs that don’t make it to the new League remain in their competition which some teams may need to be added.
It also to be noted that there are no mergers or relocations in the time frame before 2000. So Sydney Swans, Brisbane Bears/Lions, Gold Coast, Adelaide, West Coast Fremantle etc don’t exist.
AFL teams
Adelaide Panthers
Carlton Blues
Brisbane Maroons
Canberra Rams
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Collingwood Magpies
East Perth Royals
Essendon Bombers
Fremantle Pirates
Geelong Cats
Hawthorn Hawks
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Melbourne Tigers
North-Hobart Kangaroos
Nothern Territory-Queensland Crocodiles
Norwood Red Legs
Parramatta Eels
Port Adelaide Crows
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Southport Sharks
Subiaco Lions
Sturt Double Blues
St.George Dragons
Sydney Roosters
West Perth Falcons
Note all original teams wear their jumpers of today. Except for the new jumpers for:
Adelaide Panthers - merged teams of North Adelaide, South Adelaide and West Adelaide (jumper is black with thin red, navy blue and white stripes at right side of the jumper).
Brisbane Maroons - newly formed to represents the capital. (Jumper is maroon and white).
Canberra Rams - newly formed to represent ACT. (Jumper is orange with blue yolk).
Fremantle Pirates - merger between East Fremantle and South Fremantle. Jumper is white and Purple - blending the blue of East and red of South)
North-Hobart Kangaroos - North Melbourne who fought so hard to join the VFL were not going to go out from the top tier without a hell of a fight.
While the Tasmanians were bickering about which team should join the AFL or a it be a state side. The Kangaroos would relocate there and even add green to their blue and white stripes. The name North would represent both the old club and Launceston while Hobart name as the capital and where major of the home games played. The Shinboner spirit lives on in the AFL.
Northern Territory-Queensland Crocodiles - newly formed team to represent the north of Australia. (colors black, ochre, yellow and beige)
Port Adelaide Crows - same old PA with black and white Prison Bar jumper. (Agreed to change logo if they could chose Crows much to SANFL dismay)
Note: Melbourne Tigers is not a merger but still the old Richmond Tigers wearing the black and yellow. The AFL wanted a team with Melbourne in name and after much persuasion (and undisclosed money under the table)the Tigers finally agreed.
So that’s my idea… unfortunately I am not talented enough to do a portfolio of this.
But would be great if someone could do this idea in their own version
So my timeline goes like this:
In time VFL goes into Tasmania while NSW takes the top QLD teams.
Then VFL and SANFL merge to compete with the powerful NSW/QLD League
Eventually in 2000 AFL is formed:
6 from VIC
6 from NSW
4 from SANFL
4 from WAFL
3 from QLD
1 from ACT
1 from TAS
Clubs that don’t make it to the new League remain in their competition which some teams may need to be added.
It also to be noted that there are no mergers or relocations in the time frame before 2000. So Sydney Swans, Brisbane Bears/Lions, Gold Coast, Adelaide, West Coast Fremantle etc don’t exist.
AFL teams
Adelaide Panthers
Carlton Blues
Brisbane Maroons
Canberra Rams
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Collingwood Magpies
East Perth Royals
Essendon Bombers
Fremantle Pirates
Geelong Cats
Hawthorn Hawks
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Melbourne Tigers
North-Hobart Kangaroos
Nothern Territory-Queensland Crocodiles
Norwood Red Legs
Parramatta Eels
Port Adelaide Crows
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Southport Sharks
Subiaco Lions
Sturt Double Blues
St.George Dragons
Sydney Roosters
West Perth Falcons
Note all original teams wear their jumpers of today. Except for the new jumpers for:
Adelaide Panthers - merged teams of North Adelaide, South Adelaide and West Adelaide (jumper is black with thin red, navy blue and white stripes at right side of the jumper).
Brisbane Maroons - newly formed to represents the capital. (Jumper is maroon and white).
Canberra Rams - newly formed to represent ACT. (Jumper is orange with blue yolk).
Fremantle Pirates - merger between East Fremantle and South Fremantle. Jumper is white and Purple - blending the blue of East and red of South)
North-Hobart Kangaroos - North Melbourne who fought so hard to join the VFL were not going to go out from the top tier without a hell of a fight.
While the Tasmanians were bickering about which team should join the AFL or a it be a state side. The Kangaroos would relocate there and even add green to their blue and white stripes. The name North would represent both the old club and Launceston while Hobart name as the capital and where major of the home games played. The Shinboner spirit lives on in the AFL.
Northern Territory-Queensland Crocodiles - newly formed team to represent the north of Australia. (colors black, ochre, yellow and beige)
Port Adelaide Crows - same old PA with black and white Prison Bar jumper. (Agreed to change logo if they could chose Crows much to SANFL dismay)
Note: Melbourne Tigers is not a merger but still the old Richmond Tigers wearing the black and yellow. The AFL wanted a team with Melbourne in name and after much persuasion (and undisclosed money under the table)the Tigers finally agreed.
So that’s my idea… unfortunately I am not talented enough to do a portfolio of this.
But would be great if someone could do this idea in their own version
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