Tasmania's entry into the league is drawing nearer by the day as the Devils are expected to play their first game in Round 1, 2028.
As the league prepares for the Apple Isle to join the AFL ranks, it's hard not to cast your eyes further into the future at what the - inevitable - 20th team will be. And more importantly, where?
The idea of expansion sides is always an interesting one as it engages with every fan's imagination about new clubs, their names, logos and colours. Would it be a club forged in a new area to grow the game? Or somewhere that would celebrate and reward that region's football heritage?
Everybody has a soft spot for the idea of the Northern Territory getting its own side. It would help the area financially, encourage more Indigenous players to want to be part of the AFL and reward a heartland region for football.
But if the AFL decides it can't yet go ahead with a team in Darwin due to population, draw factor for talent, or whatever reason, where does CEO Andrew Dillon look next?
Well, perhaps he should direct his attention 4000km south-west.
On Saturday afternoon, North Melbourne is "hosting" Fremantle at Hands Oval in the Western Australian town of Bunbury; less than a two-hour drive south of Perth.
While the decision for the Roos to host the game is purely financial, the Western Australian government is paying the club north of $2 million a season to play a home game at Hands Oval and Optus Stadium for three consecutive years, and it has opened up the option to pursue a third team in the state.
Football in Western Australia's south-west is much like Victoria, South Australia or the Northern Territory; it is a key part of life and can absolutely be categorised as a football heartland.
While having a team purely located at the newly renovated Hands Oval would be unlikely due to similar factors that would stop a team in the Northern Territory, Mandurah (one of the fastest growing cities in the country) could be an ideal base for a third club in the state.
Acting as Geelong does in Victoria, it could act as a club that is part of the metropolitan, but still feels like the country (less than a one-hour drive from Perth) and is located closer to large country towns such as Bunbury, Margaret River, Busselton and Dunsborough.
It would also allow West Coast and Fremantle to lower the amount of interstate travel time by securing two more weeks of games in their home state. The concept club's games could be split between Optus Stadium and Hands Oval, like Geelong's are with the MCG and GMHBA Stadium.
While it could be argued that a third club in Western Australia would result in a smaller following than others, it could be countered by the fact that it would still likely be equal to, if not more than, the expected supporter base of Tasmania, Northern Territory, GWS or Gold Coast.
It would also help strengthen junior football pathways in the state, something that is a growing concern for the Eagles, Dockers and AFL, with participation rates and the amount of AFL talent coming from Western Australia dropping away.
A club-connected academy could be set up and dedicated to the south-west region of Western Australia, spanning all the way to Albany and Esperance.
One pitfall would be that most football fans in the state are already passionate supporters of Fremantle, West Coast or another club and would be hard to have their hearts swayed. But once again, that is an issue for the likes of Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
In the past, the West Australian Football Commission has disagreed with the idea of a third side in the state, but that could soon fall away if it sees the possibilities of what a third club could do for football in the south-west. A true heartland of Aussie rules.
