Melbourne Hawks - Aftermath

Aftermath

Before the failed merger of Melbourne and Hawthorn, on 4 July 1996, the Fitzroy and Brisbane clubs had been merged by the directive of the AFL commission to take effect as the Brisbane Lions on 1 November 1996. Footscray and North Melbourne also changed their names to the Western Bulldogs and the Kangaroos respectively to attract more fans, having both been considered for mergers in the last two decades.

A decade later, merger and relocation talks amongst Victorian clubs continue. In 2007, the AFL pushed for the Kangaroos to move to the Gold Coast as part of another attempted push for national expansion following the inclusion of Port Adelaide and Fremantle into the league in the late 1990s, as well as attempting to increase North's memberships (which were amongst the lowest in the league). The club was offered a lucrative deal, including already established facilities and a stadium to play in on the Gold Coast, but James Brayshaw became the figurehead for the club and the proposal was once again turned down. The Kangaroos later reverted back to their old North Melbourne tag and Brayshaw became the club's president. The Gold Coast Football Club came into existence anyway and first competed in the AFL in 2011.

At the start of the 2008 season, Melbourne were once again considered for merger or relocation negotiations after revealing that their membership numbers had been amongst the lowest in the league for a long period of time and their financial position was becoming seriously poor. It also did not help that the club lost its first game of the season by 104 points to Hawthorn, who would go on to win the Grand Final that season. Former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon proposed on Footy Classified, following the round's proceedings, that Melbourne may very well be the Fitzroy of the modern era in their inability to perform for extended periods both on and off the field.

In stark contrast, Hawthorn, the 2008 premiers, has managed to grow from strength to strength on and off the field. At the conclusion of the 2008 season, Hawthorn was on the verge of becoming the first VFL/AFL club to record a A$5 million profit. The Hawks have since become the first Victorian club to achieve 50,000 members, which occurred in the 2009 season.

Midway through the 2010 season, Melbourne chairman Jim Stynes announced that Melbourne had paid off all debts. This, coupled with a rise off the bottom of the ladder and record club membership, secured Melbourne's short-term future as a stand-alone club.