"When I first came on in 2003, the AFL was a pretty comfortable place," he said. "They were very happy running a nice tight competition in the southern states.

"The northern states were - and still are - growing more quickly than the southern states. We tried to move North Melbourne to the Gold Coast and that didn't work.

"As you know, relocating clubs is not easy. So then we set about establishing second teams in New South Wales and Queensland and to Andrew's (Demetriou's) credit he was very supportive of that. I think as an organisation we have been pretty brave."

Fitzpatrick first revealed plans for 17th and 18th teams on the Gold Coast and in western Sydney respectively in what proved to be a bombshell interview with Fairfax Media at the start of 2008.

Back then, Ben Cousins had just been removed from the competition for a season and West Coast's illicit drugs problem was the controversy engulfing the AFL.

The new chairman became impatient focusing on the issue at the time, revealed that a radical new hair-testing trial would be introduced to better analyse footballers' drug habits and then moved on to what he hoped to leave the game as his legacy.

It must be said that he delivered on his three top order priorities. Apart from expanding the competition to 18 teams (tick), Fitzpatrick vowed to improve stadium infrastructure for supporters and players across Australia (big tick), and work to improve the AFL's relationship with government (another tick).

"What we were not good at at the time," said Fitzpatrick, "was that there was almost a sense of pride that the AFL could survive without government help and I didn't agree with that. When you look at our relationships now and the support we've received I would say we are ahead of the curve."

Although the AFL chairman lobbied heavily against the growing influence of sport scientists at clubs at the start of 2012, he could not have predicted the toll that a small group of rogue high-performance officials at one poorly-governed club could have taken on the game on his watch. Not to mention the human trauma and the bloodshed.

If there was one occasion when his executive should have acted earlier then that was it, although interestingly Fitzpatrick in his farewell press conference found himself defending the competition for its so-called heavy-handedness against Essendon. He said on Wednesday he would have done very little differently - a comment which drew a somewhat idiotic tweet from the Bombers' Brendon Goddard.

If Fitzpatrick and his commission erred in pushing to achieve a deal to end the Essendon scandal, there is a strong argument that they failed to sanction the doctor who in turn failed to protect his players. This was an old school decision and it should be a source of some discomfort to the competition that Bruce Reid, still the club's head medico, went unpunished because it was all too hard.

Fitzpatrick avoided the topic of Reid and said of the game's failure to put stricter boundaries in place regarding injecting and other drug programs: "I don't think we could have anticipated what happened," he said. "Certainly not the scale of it."

My view is that his and the AFL's handling of Adam Goodes in 2015 remains his most significant black mark. Fitzpatrick agreed he failed to take a stand on the booing as early as he should have.

"Look, I just think we could have gone earlier," he admitted. "We should have acted earlier even though there were practical consideration, meeting schedules and so forth. I think we've made our peace with Adam and we've learnt our lesson for the future."

In fact the spectator treatment of Goodes had simmered for months before the AFL acted and Fitzpatrick's belated and poorly-judged media statement did him no credit.

Fitzpatrick did not handle Lance Franklin's shock decision to favour Sydney ahead of GWS well and continues to bear the brunt of an abusive tirade he delivered to then Sydney chairman Richard Colless, still one of Fitzpatrick's biggest detractors.

Fitzpatrick worked passionately at the commission table for players and their on-field welfare — a passion demonstrated in his push for the centre circle and the move to stop players diving on the ball.

The first was largely designed to prevent ruckmen suffering posterior cruciates and the second to help prevent players breaking their legs. Fitzpatrick also led the charge to protect players' heads.

Having said the time was right to depart given that Gillon McLachlan was now ensconced in his leadership role, the national women's competition had been launched, a new six-year media rights agreement was under way and "we finally got hold of Etihad"; Fitzpatrick agreed he might have added a Western Bulldogs premiership to his long-term wish list.

He said that victory would not have happened without the AFL's work in bridging the gap between rich and poor clubs.

"I was pleased with the outcome," he said of the 2016 grand final. "I would have been very happy had the Swans won, but we've worked so hard on equalisation. Without that effort it would have been impossible for the Saints or the Dogs to win a premiership. And it was a great game."

Fitzpatrick reflected on his retirement announcement on Wednesday over a bowl of pasta with McLachlan and the AFL's former communications boss Brian Walsh. He will depart in April with Wesfarmers CEO and former Fremantle director Richard Goyder to replace him and a sub-committee involving two AFL club presidents formed to select a new commissioner.

Goyder is the first chairman of the competition not to have played the game at the highest level and the first based outside Victoria. Had Victorian Governor Linda Dessau remained on the commission the prevailing view is that she would have replaced Fitzpatrick. A succession plan leading to a woman chairman would also have been his legacy.

But when asked whether the game was ready for a woman at the head of the board table Fitzpatrick responded: "I'm not sure ... I'm just not sure."

It was in an interview with Eddie McGuire on Fox Footy several years ago that Fitzpatrick observed the commission had not "been brave enough". He added then that he would have found life as a footballer in this modern era "dull".

And would the two-time Carlton premiership captain - who was in contention for Norm Smith medals in both 1981 and '82 but did not win one - still back that observation?

"No, I'd love it," Fitzpatrick said, "I would have loved all that spare time."