Funnily the AFL have expanded without carving up its Melbourne based clubs! The swans were a relocation of the Bloods and Brisbane bears/lions a relocation of the Fitzroy Lions . From those relocations onwards the AFL expanded without carving up its foundation Melbourne based clubs. They have intelligently expanded in the proper way without alienating established fan bases in Melbourne and elsewhere for that matter. Take heed PR. The growth of the AFL has not caused damage to the core of the game. Unlike your standpoint that is clearly advocating damage to what's left of the rugby league in Sydney. We can regain some of the damage already done like giving the Magpies a life in South Australia etc but you don't slash and burn established markets that are known throughout the nation that are in Sydney. Expand with additional clubs which is what should be done not cause this vulnerable code more internal bleeding for its fans and an increased lack of confidence in general public perception of the code at large.
They are as screwed as we are, they just have more money and compliant clubs that fall into line on funding agreements in the short term so have not had to deal with it just now. If you look at the club grant allocations in last afl annual report some of the biggest grants had to go to Melbourne clubs because they are in an over saturated market same as nrl in Sydney. And as you said they have relocated two teams and tried desperately to relocate two more.
Your a roosters fans I beleve. How would you feel if, being a wealthy club, the roosters nrl grant next year was say $9mill so that wests could be $16mill to keep everyone viable? That's what's happening in the afl. Geelong got a grant of $11mill whilst st kilda got $18.5mill
But back to your Ingenious solution for dealing with this problem. Whose brands do you think fit well and we can let nrlhq know to get on and merge them so we can get national growth underway..