Original sentence: Gardiner's abiding vision through his life was to see the club he helped found, rise to compete on the greatest stage in the land.In 1921,
Edited sentence: By 1921 North was in crisis, after a planned merger between North and rivals Essendon failed to materialise.Gardiner's abiding vision was to see the club he helped found, rise to compete on the greatest stage in the land.In his position as local councillor, senior football figure and respected public servant in Melbourne, Gardiner campaigned vigorously on North's behalf.Rising from his sick bed - at great risk to his personal health - Gardiner headed an ultimately unsuccessful delegation to the VFL to plead to have North accepted to that competition.The end result was that North found itself without a league to play in for the 1922 season.Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, Gardiner was at the forefront of several pushes to have North Melbourne admitted to the VFL