Would have thought this one was pretty obvious. Newcastle falls under the Swans academy zone, hence the reason they were given academy access to Hunter region local Issac Heeney. The Sunshine Coast falls under the Lions academy zone, hence the reason they were given academy access to Sunny Coast local Eric Hipwood. Both the Swans and Lions have very talented local players that can help promote the game if the AFL ever chooses to schedule H&A fixtures in those cities.Who plays there?
The Swans used to regularly play preseason games at the Newcastle Sports Ground about 10 years ago so it's not like they've never explored that option before. The Lions often play preseason games at Burpengary, which is a halfway junction point between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast so they've arguably already attempted to tap into that market as well. So these markets aren't as foreign to AFL action as some may think.
North can focus on snatching the Launceston contract from Hawthorn instead.North Melbourne.
Edit: Oops, already been mentioned.