There could be no more compelling a case as to whether Hobart needs a $750 million, 27,000-seater stadium than the one made by the 5072 who bothered turning up to Sunday's AFL game in the city.
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On the same day that a rugby league clash between NSW and Queensland attracted a near-capacity 59,358 crowd to a stadium 4000 kilometres away from either states' regular venue, the state capital of Tasmania was presenting a contrasting viewpoint to its Western Australian equivalent.
There was a time when Hawthorn crowds threatening to dip below the five-figure benchmark in Launceston drew snorts of derision from the Southern media, and yet now North Melbourne routinely draw half that to Bellerive Oval.
Sunday's attendance against Adelaide followed 5114 for the visit of Port Adelaide a month earlier.
Meanwhile, Hawthorn's last two matches at UTAS Stadium attracted gates of 14,107 and 12,007 - both for non-Victorian opponents.
Yeah, Hobart really needs a new stadium.
Quite how a fantasy vision - hurriedly unveiled by a Premier to distract media from his latest cabinet controversy - could become an intrinsic part of the AFL's Tasmanian masterplan within three months beggars belief.
Especially at a time when extensive upgrading is going on to a stadium which has served the competition's needs perfectly well for more than two decades.
But back to Sunday's blockbuster and there was actually plenty to attract fans.
At a time when concerns have been expressed about the decreasing number of AFL players emerging from Tasmania, no fewer than four were on display including Aaron Hall returning to his home town and Launceston's Chayce Jones making his 50th AFL appearance.
Hugh Greenwood would have played before bigger crowds when he was still a basketballer while ex-Northern Bomber Tarryn Thomas was destined to attract both criticism from Fox Footy's David King for being "disinterested" and subsequent sympathy from coach David Noble following the death of his grandmother last week.
Instead it was left to a previous Tasmanian AFL graduate to sum up proceedings.
"I've played in TSL preliminary finals at Bellerive with a higher attendance than today's AFL game," observed Lauderdale's Josh McGuinness, who spent two seasons with Brisbane.
Added to this was the opportunity to witness the debut of Shinboner of the Century Glenn Archer's son, Jackson.
Ultimately, there was even some footy history made as the Kangaroos became the first side in VFL/AFL history to lose 10 straight games by more than 40 points.
Apparently, the team's closest margin to an opponent in that sequence was 47 points, the previous "best" being 39 achieved by both Greater Western Sydney in 2013 and Richmond in 2009-10. Even the great St Kilda team of 1897-98 couldn't muster more than a 34-point margin.
The AFL has rivers of gold running through it.
- Andrew Wilkie
So well done North - the team that Eddie Maguire thinks will save AFL footy in Tasmania.
It wasn't just McGuinness airing their observations about the spectacle on Twitter.
Self-proclaimed "Proud Tasmanian" Andrew Johnston posted: "Look at the crowd. Clearly Tasmanians want to see North Melbourne as their club, they're breaking down the doors to watch them."
Matt Laing added: "Eddie McGuire with his finger on the pulse, look at the masses who have turned up to watch their beloved Kangas."
And sports media student Liam McCullagh wasn't sitting on the fence: "This is the worst, most uncompetitive, ill disciplined, skill deprived lackluster performance and probably list there has ever been in the AFL. Unbelievably bad. #AFLNorthCrows"
But perhaps the voice of reason on the subject came from Independent MP Andrew Wilkie.
Following AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan stating a new stadium was essential for a Tasmanian AFL team and a state government pledge of $150 million was "a good start", Wilkie was asked last week who should pay for such a stadium.
"I will not be chasing one dollar of taxpayers' money for a footy stadium when the stadium and the team should be privately funded," he said. "The AFL is rich. It has rivers of gold running through it. It has more than enough money to to subsidise teams and subsidise the building of stadiums."
Discussing each previous proposal for the prime Hobart location of Macquarie Point, Wilkie added: "They all seem to have been thrown out the window with this latest hare-brained idea of spending almost a billion dollars - mostly of taxpayers' money - to put a footy stadium here.
"What are we going to have next? A ferris wheel? A spaceport?"
That last suggestion might not be as out-there as it sounds. At least creating a portal to Hobart for visitors from Outer Space might finally attract a decent audience to an AFL game.