THE AFL Commission has issued a six-month deadline to put together a definite plan to establish a second team in southern Queensland in the hope that the Kangaroos take up the relocation offer.

As AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and his key strategists were today to meet the Kangaroos board in a bid to clarify the future of the club's complicated share structure, The Age understands that the game's governing body is rapidly losing patience with the club.

It is believed AFL executives Andrew Caterall and Gillon McLachlan have been charged with putting together a relocation plan which in turn will be transferred into a package.

While the commission has not ruled out a 17th licence — nor has it firmly settled upon Carrara as the definite home ground for a Gold Coast-based team — the preference is to relocate an existing team.

The decisions resting with the AFL include whether to place a relocation offer on the open market and include all clubs in Victoria.

A relocation package could include significant draft advantages in a bid to beef up a list such as the Kangaroos', along with a sustainable stadium deal, signage and other marketing advantages.

As the Kangaroos emerged from yesterday's board peace talks, maverick director Ron Joseph was subtly censured for his public attacks upon club chairman Graham Duff.

Duff yesterday insisted the club would remain Melbourne-based, adding that he doubted any proposed share buy-out from the AFL would become a reality.

But he later told The Age: "We are prepared to listen to what the AFL has to say. We would like the AFL to put its position on the table. At no stage has anyone said to us that they want a second team permanently located on the Gold Coast."

The ongoing mixed messages from both the AFL and the Kangaroos date back to November 2005, when a strategic meeting of the AFL commissioners first put the Gold Coast plan on the table.

While the league's governing body and the AFL executive have continued to debate the issue and push their plan forward, they have become increasingly concerned at the lack of unity at the North Melbourne Football Club, which has not only a board at odds with each other, but also shareholders.

Last Friday's commission talks in Queensland, which included a tour of all major football stadiums on the Gold Coast and also Brisbane, put forward a process to speed up the push into the region that introduced the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans this year. Ongoing obstacles for the AFL include the Queensland Government, which has an agreement in place to play all AFL games between permanent Queensland teams at the Gabba, along with the Kangaroos' refusal to accept what many at the AFL believe is a foregone conclusion.

Duff said yesterday: "I'm categorically saying that we currently get paid $400,000 to go up there and play. It was a commercial decision, not an emotional decision. I don't think it's sustainable without help from the AFL. At present we have no chance of netting $400,000 a game without help."

Demetriou, refusing to comment last night on what he planned to say at today's talks, was the subject of some criticism from the Kangaroos board for meeting a section of the club's shareholders last week before officially doing so with the club's board.

The AFL will also look at scheduling advantages for a club that chose to relocate from Melbourne in a bid to retain its Victorian identity, unlike the Brisbane Lions, who usually play less than one third of their games in Melbourne to appease old Fitzroy supporters.

The commission's view is that the third year of the Kangaroos' current deal — 2009 — would bring a far greater presence on the Gold Coast than the four games as set down in the present $3.6 million agreement.