This is a very important point.
RA wants to create fake comps as higher honours selection trials rather than proper clubs with passion and support.
Proper clubs cannot be created, I believe, at least not instantly. Which is the nub of the problem. Both the NRL and AFL had at their hearts a majority of traditional clubs, albeit some were the result of mergers.
Plus, of course, there were some new clubs needed in both comps. But, at heart, the strongest traditional markets (Sydney for the NRL, Melbourne for the AFL) provided the bulk of the new competitions, and that bulk was to a large extent, traditional clubs.
I was living in Melbourne in the early 80s, worked across the road from the old South Melbourne Footy ground, and remember the huge fuss when South Melbourne was shifted to Sydney. Took some balls to do what they did, a fair few traditional supporters were really pissed off, but as time went by, people got used to it.
And of course, clubs like Collingwood, Richmond, Hawthorn, Carlton, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Geelong, and Essendon, all survived.