It's easy to lump the two northern expansion clubs into the same problematic basket when things aren't going well, but there was a decent amount of material to work with on Saturday.
At Marvel Stadium, Gold Coast slid to its ninth straight loss as team leader Christian Petracca and youngster Leo Lombard conducted a yelling match with the game on the line, days after spearhead Ben King was reported to be off to Hawthorn next year.
In Sydney, meanwhile, at Engie Stadium, GWS copped a 51-point hiding from its local rival, all but KO'd early on, the Swans' seventh win over the Giants in their last eight meetings, the support for the visitors noticeably outweighing that for the home team.
The game drew 20,141, more than the last four derbies at the same venue, but still less than the Giants were pulling there against the Swans between 2016-18 when the club was still in its infancy.
Yep. Establishing a new AFL club is a long, hard slog. Obviously a lot harder still in non-traditional football territory. And that distinction is obviously going to be more visible now as Tasmania, having appointed Ken Hinkley as its first coach, starts meaningfully gearing towards its 2028 launch.
One thing clear in the publicity surrounding Hinkley's appointment, even the Devils' "Ken Oath" marketing campaign, is the ease with which a buzz was generated, voices of consequence weighed into the fray, and the amount of public goodwill there is towards the AFL's new 19th team.
That's not to say there's hostility towards the Giants or Suns. But to be honest, that might actually be preferable to the considerable amounts of apathy outside the bubble of the two northern clubs.
But what the continued, dramatic slide of the Suns this season, and the Giants' incredible highs and lows suggest, not for the first time, is that it's much harder to get a consistent, self-regulating emotional buy-in from those out there doing the hard yards when there's not a considerable history, not to mention demanding fan base in effect keeping you honest.
Gold Coast made finals last year and won one in Perth, no less. That should have been the perfect springboard to a widely-tipped top four berth in 2026. Instead, after seven wins from their first 10 games, the Suns have folded like a house of cards amidst continued reports of internal discontent and the ritual "Player X wants out" stuff.
GWS proved just how good its best is in defeating Fremantle, not to mention that stunning 14-goal quarter against reigning premier Brisbane. But those highs have come among lows like Saturday week's abysmal defeat against a previously hapless Essendon, and an 81-point belting at the hands of the Bulldogs.
Where are the voices making either Gold Coast or the Giants truly feel the sting of poor performance? Or, conversely, tempering the hype when things are going well? Are there enough of them? Are they influential enough?
At the expansion clubs, whatever happens, the reaction is muted. And there are some cases where matters remaining "within the four walls" as the cliché puts it, is not a good thing.
Traditional clubs, or in Tassie's case, even new clubs from traditional football areas, have a natural constituency prepared to either push back on a club under attack, or hold those who represent it more accountable. The Suns and Giants simply don't have that depth of emotional investment working in their favour.
Which is why Tasmania already appears to possess one advantage neither northern expansion club enjoyed.
Of course, the Devils face enormous challenges. Recruiting players to an island state won't always be easy. Building a list from scratch certainly won't be. Not to mention the whole stadium issue, all of which outgoing GWS chief executive Dave Matthews was keen to drive home in some provocative comments on radio last week.
But we do at least already know that Tasmania Devils won't spend the next decade trying to convince people they matter.
The reaction to Hinkley's appointment, the immediate embrace of the club, and the excitement surrounding everything from jumpers to memberships and recruiting targets all point to a football state desperate to make the Devils part of its identity before they've even kicked a ball.
None of this is intended to diminish the work done off the field by either the Giants or, more recently, Gold Coast.
Building an AFL club from scratch in non-traditional football territory was always going to be an enormous challenge. But Tasmania's first steps, combined with the chronic on-field volatility of both northern clubs, are a reminder they're still chasing something beyond premierships. They're chasing permanence.
The sort of permanence enjoyed by clubs whose identities are so deeply embedded that a bad month, or even a bad season, doesn't immediately trigger questions about their culture, their future or whether their best players are looking elsewhere.
Football heritage doesn't win matches. But it does provide a buffer when things go badly and creates a far more effortless buzz when things are going well.
After another difficult weekend for both Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, that might be the biggest advantage Tasmania will enjoy from the moment it enters the AFL.
You can read more of Rohan Connolly's work at FOOTYOLOGY.