Given his decades spent chairing boards on both sides of the Murray, Jeff Browne's ability to fluently read bottom lines should come as little surprise.
But as we amble our way through August - the month in which Tasmania's AFL fate was tipped to be decided - the newly minted Collingwood president has claimed that the buck must stop before further expansion.
In spite of recent reports that both Adelaide and Brisbane may soon throw their support behind the southern state's push for an AFL licence, the former director of the Nine Network believes that a choice to cross Bass Strait is one that comes with a hidden cost.
Speaking to Zero Hanger, Browne stated that despite the sizable public press for a Tasmanian team, clubs were still in the dark regarding the logistics of the expansion vote.
“No details have been sent to the clubs,” Browne said on Tuesday evening.
“It is impossible to form any view ahead of knowing exactly what the proposal is.”
This period of uncertainty appears set to stretch beyond August, with News Corp reporting that a date for the highly-publicised president's vote may be bumped into September.
Along with Andrew Pridham (Sydney), Jeff Kennett (Hawthorn) and Tony Cochrane (Gold Coast), Browne has previously stated his opposition towards a 19th franchise, suggesting that, at the present, the numbers just don't stack up.
Under the watch of AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and his predecessor, Andrew Demetriou, the AFL sought to forge forth into rugby league heartlands north of the Victorian border, planting their Sherrin-stamped flag on the Sunshine Coast and in Sydney's west.
The groundbreaking implementation of the AFLW competition in June of 2016 has also seen the game's roots grow stronger and run deeper right across the nation.
But while Tasmania, a veritable footballing heartland, has been forced to bide their time and tender a buffet of bids to those at AFL House over the decades, Browne stressed that any decision to put Tassie on the map would likely hinder these past commitments.
“I doubt that the competition can afford to develop beyond GWS, Gold Coast and the AFLW at the moment, as they were all big investments in expansion,” he added.
“If the AFL has to pour money into a stadium in Tasmania, or to supplement any losses, my concern is that the AFLW will feel most of the pain.”
Throughout the Covid-effected 2020 season of AFLW, one which was eventually drawn to a premature close without a premier crowned, the AFL commission reportedly spent upwards of $13.7 million on women's football.
And with the league and the player's association agreeing upon a sharply improved collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in May, this financial bar is sure to have risen in accordance.
Across the course of the first fully-expanded AFLW season, players from all 18 clubs can expect to see a 94 per cent raise to their pay cheques, with top-tier talents now earning $71,935 from each campaign.
This positive momentum will be held at a premium, and as fans of every club - including Tasmanians due to the state's affiliation with the North Melbourne Football Club - now have a side to support, a pitched battle will be fought in an effort to hold ground.
Though Browne and his 17 presidential contemporaries are awaiting a final, logistical presentation, as well as a chance to cast their ballots, those involved with the Tassie bid are still being put through their paces by McLachlan and company.
As it stands, the Tasmanian task force has been working fervently to strengthen its case for both the present and the future.
Previously, league powerbrokers had sought to see the state's working on matters relating to a potential roster, perceived ills with retention and, of course, the divisive notion of finances.
But with the clock ticking and just a fortnight remaining before winter ekes into Spring, Jon Ralph of The Herald Sun has reported that progress in these departments is inching towards a tick of approval.
However, the matter of who will be picking up the bill for the shiny new stadium on the banks of the Derwent remains a genuine sticking point.
RELATED: Is it time for a Tasmanian AFL team?
Powerbrokers stalking league corridors have made it known that an AFL standard venue remains an unshakable requirement for Tasmania's admission - a headscratcher, as Bellerive Oval, York Park and North Hobart Oval have all hosted AFL and AFLW fixtures within the last 12 months.
But despite architects, city planners and Tasmanian footy nuts having fallen in love with the blueprints for the perspex-roofed, 27,000-seat stadium on Hobart's waterfront, neither the AFL nor the Tasmanian State Government is willing to open their coffers.
With the final cost of the venue tipped to finish north of the $500 million mark, more than just a modicum of outside help will need to be sought.
Since the dawn of Will Hodgman's tenure at Salamanca Place in 2014, Tasmania has been led by an unimpeded run of Liberal leaders, with the Geelong-supporting Member for Franklin eventually usurped by fellow party members, Peter Gutwein and the incumbent premier, Jeremy Rockliff.
Given this blue stronghold over the island state, and the adjoining lack of swinging voters, it baffled few when the recently installed Federal Labor Government appeared non-committal toward funding, instead opting for a ploy to secure their own garrison in the Sunshine State ahead of the Olympics in 2032.
This prospective snub came in the wake of comments made in March by Tasmanian Labor MP Brian Mitchell who stressed that stumping up for a new stadium was a luxury the state just couldn't afford.
"The Liberals three years ago went to the public and said Tasmania couldn't afford $25 million to even look at a stadium," Mr. Mitchell said.
"Now they're telling Tasmanians we can afford $750 million for a stadium when we are in the middle of a full-blown health, housing and aged care crisis."
However, in recent days, the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Catherine King, claimed the Labor government would alter their stance should Tasmania secure the league's 19th licence.
"I hope very much that the 19th licence happens and we will talk constructively with the Tasmanian Government about the infrastructure needs of the state," Mrs King stated earlier in August.
While Browne's outward opposition to Tasmania's cries for inclusion has been enough to earn him a place on dartboards between Stanley and Southport, the businessman's recent musings prove he may not be as bitter as a Huon Valley breeze.
"Tasmania's a great football state," Browne said on ABC radio in July.
"They're very loyal supporters, but you've got to be able to make the numbers work. Until we see those numbers, it remains a very attractive emotional argument."
Though this acknowledgment of the state's footballing past may warm cockles during winter's final weeks, until Browned can gauge just where the dollars and cents lie, the state of Tasmania's footballing future makes little sense in his mind.
But with each of the competition's presidents set to be delivered some overdue mail from league headquarters over the next few weeks, the prospect of a vivid picture presented in a stable frame may make a believer out of Browne yet.
I think Jeff Browne doesn’t want Collingwood to come down here, I’m a pies supporter and I love my team with a passion but will also support our Tassie team with memberships for me and the whole family. I will also definitely go to every game. We are footy mad down here and everyone wants an AFL team. Get rid of the Hawks and Roos funding and concentrate on one team, OURS!
I don’t go to their games because I don’t like them and Collingwood is too precious to come down here. If Jeff Browne opposes our team, I’ll stop my Collingswood membership and so will others.
We don’t need a womens team, just a mens team, baby steps first.