The government wanted a waterfront stadium, the Auckland City Council quite liked the idea of one but the Auckland Regional Council voted against it.
The chief executive of the Ports of Auckland at the time was having conniptions, stating that there was no way five billion dollars' worth of business could be moved from the port in time for the construction of a new stadium.
It was a shambles.
Jade Stadium in Christchurch was put on alert to be prepared to host any upcoming feature games - but I suspect Trevor Mallard didn't really mean it and was just playing hardball.
In the end, as we all know, the government lost its nerve and an opportunity for a world-class stadium was lost too.
The upgrade of Eden Park went ahead but it is not a long-term solution. We need a new stadium and the proposal unveiled this week looks just the ticket. A 1.8 billion sunken stadium which won't impact on the views of the water and which won't cost ratepayers and taxpayers.
Sounds too good to be true but the numbers have been crunched and the consortium behind the proposal says it can fund the stadium, provided it gets the rights to build housing on 9 hectares at Eden Park and develop Bledisloe Wharf along the lines of Wynyard Quarter with a mix of apartments, commercial buildings and public spaces.
This all sounds absolutely marvellous. And I much prefer the design of this stadium over the 2006 blueprints. The price tag has gone up a fair whack in 12 years but if we keep talking and keep faffing around and keep stalling, it's going to be even more expensive another 12 years from now.
I really like this proposal. I don't like the Ports of Auckland being right in the centre of the city, closing off the waterfront to the people. I love what's happened around the Wynyard Quarter and this could be a wonderful opportunity to create a city waterfront to be proud of.
But I'm not popping champagne corks yet. As Simon Wilson mentioned in his opinion piece on Friday, it's incredible that the consortium haven't had Ngāti Whātua on board from the start, given that their support will be vital to any plan.
And there are always naysayers and Eeyores who see disaster where others see opportunity. I've been MC at many corporate dos where speakers used to talk about BHAGs - big, hairy, audacious goals. The Auckland Waterfront Consortium's proposal is the biggest, hairiest and the most audacious of the proposals I've seen for the waterfront.
Good on them.
In the triumphant words of our Prime Minister, let's do this!
• Kerre McIvor is on Newstalk ZB, Sundays, 9am-noon.