Writing about Fitzroy's demise as an AFL club also allows space for musings on the nature and character of the modern AFL. The Fitzroy/Brisbane merger asked profound questions about the AFL's relationship with the people who love and support Australian rules football - questions that were never satisfactorily answered. Who are the actual custodians of the game? What obligations do the League's governing body owe to the supporters, who make the game what it is? What place do history and tradition have in the modern AFL? At what point do commercial decisions and imperatives detract from the essence of the sport and harm supporters' engagement with the League? In short, how does the AFL Commission fulfil its role as being the 'keeper of the code', not just the entity responsible for ensuring the competition remains financially viable? These questions seemed to fall by the wayside very quickly after the merger, but they remain unanswered and are just as pertinent now as they were in 1996.