And the Gold Coast Suns president delivered when he declared the AFL "can't afford a 19th franchise under any circumstances".

Speaking on SEN SA about the ever-growing support for a Tasmanian AFL team, Cochrane said: "The money is not there, the depths of playing group is not there and at the end of the day, thank God, that decision has to go to the 18 existing presidents."

Suffice to say, Cochrane's comments weren't universally popular, with Penguin's ABC broadcaster Alister Nicholson leading the backlash with a superb tirade on Offsiders.

Accusing the former music promoter and V8 Supercars boss of showing "breathtaking arrogance", Nicholson added: "The president of the Gold Coast Suns suggesting that the entry of a 19th team would put a drain on resources when the Gold Coast Suns, 10 years into their existence, was still getting $27 million in distribution from the AFL and has had hundreds of millions of dollars poured into it.

"It should be assessed on its merits with due consideration given to the rich history and heritage of Tasmania in the game the champions produced, look at the business case, approach it objectively.

"This needs to be based on the merits of the business case, not on the self-interest of club presidents.

"It is not right that a foundation football state does not have the chance to be in the national competition when there is a will for it, a business case, history and heritage on the basis that the AFL has haemorrhaged millions of dollars into growth markets at the expense of a foundation footy state."

But Cochrane has inadvertently signalled the obvious way ahead.

Rather than introduce a 19^th franchise with the associated additional financial drain, player pool dilution and competition bye complications, why not just do the most humane thing: kill off the Suns and give Tasmania their licence?

Australia's national rugby league, rugby union, soccer, basketball, baseball and ice hockey competitions have all learned to their considerable cost that the Gold Coast is where sporting franchises go to die. So has the AFL, but such is the depth of both its stubbornness and financial reserves that it continues to flog a horse that has been dead for some time now.

Consider the evidence from round 14.

As a COVID-restricted sold-out crowd of 14,834 watched two non-Tasmanian teams compete in a state of half a million people, a region with a population 50 per cent higher couldn't muster half as many (7117) to see a dismal Suns outfit kick four goals against a rampant Port Adelaide.

The Launceston game attracted twice as many fans as any other in the round, and several of Nicholson's fellow North-West Coasters weren't reluctant to trumpet the fact.

Pointing out the booing of the supposed home team, triple premiership star Alastair Lynch told the Fox Footy audience: "The highway from Hobart was full of Essendon supporters coming up today."

Richmond chief executive and potential future AFL boss Brendon Gale said on Twitter: "Great scenes out of @UTAS_ Stadium, in Launceston Tasmania. Full house, great atmosphere. People who know and love their footy!"

Team Tassie's loudest advocate, Tim Lane, observed: "Gill (McLachlan), Tony Cochrane, Jeff Kennett and all others who have denied Tassie: are you listening and watching? It's the sound of Tassie footy fans when they're offered the next best thing to genuine engagement. Just imagine them roaring for their own team!"

And Matthew Richardson retweeted both of the above before adding: "Can not understand the resistance from your average footy fan to a Tasmanian team. Grassroots Aussie rules state. Produced 4 of best 15-20 players all time. Hart, Hudson, Stewart and Baldock. Always batted above."

Only modesty prevented him adding Richardson to that list.

Meanwhile, an economic viewpoint was provided by Saul Eslake's contribution: "Tasmanians simply won't turn up to watch meaningless games between teams we have no interest in, and which would lose money if staged at the 'G or Docklands - but give us a game between teams we care about and we will show up in our thousands."

Since being granted a red-carpet entry into the competition, the team from Australia's sixth-biggest city has finished 17^th, 17^th, 14^th, 12^th, 16^th, 15^th, 17^th, 17^th, 18^th and 14^th and since the initial interest of its maiden season has only once averaged crowds above 14,000.

When a beloved, ageing pet is on its last legs, many a tearful family has to take the humane option to have it put to sleep before transferring adoration to a vibrant, young replacement.

The AFL is faced with the same decision with one key difference: the Suns are neither old nor beloved.

It wouldn't be a humane decision, it would be sensible. And there would be about as many tears shed as there were for the Gold Coast-Tweed Giants (1988-98), Bad News Bears (1987-93), Gold Coast United (2009-12), Gold Coast Cougars/Rollers (1990-96), Gold Coast Blaze (2007-12), East Coast Aces (2007), Gold Coast Clippers/Dolphins/Cougars (1989-99) and Brisbane Blue Tongues (2008-2013).

As ex-AFL commissioner Colin Carter prepares his review of the business case for a licence in Tasmania, here's an idea.

Time to put the Suns in the shade. Thanks for illuminating the way ahead Tony.