Can Fremantle become the number one club in WA?

[Taper]

Fremantle have a great opportunity to become the number one club in WA with their cross town rivals in the wilderness and looking at missing finals for the fifth consecutive season.
We've already seen Fremantle's average home crowds rise to 46,000 in 2024 thanks to West Coast being uncompetitive.
If Fremantle can achieve sustained success of making finals regularly while West Coast remain in the wilderness, there's no reason why they can't become the number one club in WA.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Freomaniac]

No chance

 

[cactuscall]

We've already seen Fremantle's average home crowds rise to 46,000 in 2024 thanks to West Coast being uncompetitive.

So Freo's home crowds have risen, which we should thank WCE for.

Well the day has arrived. I've finally heard it all on Bigfooty.

Care to elaborate on that logic?

 

[BigPond101]

If Freo win a premiership in the next few years and WCE are equally awful in 3 years time it will happen

 

[Handsuper47]

Fremantle have a great opportunity to become the number one club in WA with their cross town rivals in the wilderness and looking at missing finals for the fifth consecutive season.
We've already seen Fremantle's average home crowds rise to 46,000 in 2024 thanks to West Coast being uncompetitive.
If Fremantle can achieve sustained success of making finals regularly while West Coast remain in the wilderness, there's no reason why they can't become the number one club in WA.

What are your thoughts?

West Coast already have 4 premierships.. Fremantle have 0.

 

[1990crow]

Maybe in 50 years time. Freo would also need to win multiple flags which in their history to date has been impossible

 

[RonnieRaven]

If we three peat yes

 

[AstonSouffle]

No they won't, what will happen if they start winning is that you'll quickly learn just how many Freo supporters there already are.

 

[LOLchie Schultz]

Yes!

A major part of the WCEs membership are 70+ year olds. They will not be wasting their pensions on overpriced memberships for much longer and don't for 1 second think their middleaged and younger supporters will want to watch a team at the bottom of the ladder get pumped every weekend!


If there is anything 30 years of disappointment has shown the AFL, it's Freos membership and fan base are already the most loyal in the league!

 

[Spirit Level]

Anyone asking this question has no real idea how much of a juggernaut West Coast are, even with the sh*tty on field performances.

Absolutely no chance, Fremantle will always be the smaller club

 

[stallon]

Its like asking if the Dogs can become a bigger club than the Pies

 

[cactuscall]

It's like asking if Perth Glory can become a bigger club than Man United.

 

[Atomboy]

When the West Coast finish last again this year it will be their third wooden spoon, Freo only has one.

Freo might not be bigger or better, but they are definitely less shit.

West Coast are distorting the competition with their poor performance and should be relegated for a couple of years

 

[Shupe]

West Coast are distorting the competition with their poor performance and should be relegated for a couple of years

1966

 

[Freomaniac]

West Coast already have 4 premierships.. Fremantle have 0.

Yep that's is like saying saint Kilda or Bulldogs will have a bigger fan base than Carlton or Richmond

 

[Freomaniac]

Its like asking if the Dogs can become a bigger club than the Pies

Or Saints or North Melbourne becoming bigger than Richmond or Carlton

 

[Madas]

West coast are entrenched in the Western Suburbs and St George’s Terrace , they are a cash cow and if $ is what counts then they will never be the #2 team

Freo are the people’s team though

The only way I can see a change is if WC are somehow this bad for another 10 years , by then the Boomers would have driven off in their Lexus at 3 qtr time , the young kids will have joined the purple army and the Freo marketing team have converted all the best sponsors and businesses people in WA

 

[Viceregal]

Even if the metrics placed Freo above the Eagles they would still see themselves as the lesser beast ... it is very difficult to transfer an entrenched underdog mentality/ anti-identity into one where you are not only an agent in your own right but internalizing your right to stand as an equal or even lords!

 

[Atomboy]

1966

 

[swanny1234]

Fremantle have a great opportunity to become the number one club in WA with their cross town rivals in the wilderness and looking at missing finals for the fifth consecutive season.
We've already seen Fremantle's average home crowds rise to 46,000 in 2024 thanks to West Coast being uncompetitive.
If Fremantle can achieve sustained success of making finals regularly while West Coast remain in the wilderness, there's no reason why they can't become the number one club in WA.

What are your thoughts?

Depends on what you're asking? If it's simply who is the better team right now then sure that's comfortably Freo, but there is no chance they'll ever be the off field powerhouse the Eagles are.
I'm not sure people over East quite grasp just how big the WCE are as an organisation... they could be totally garbage for another 10 years and still get big crowds, they have the WA media in their pocket, and are the richest club in the country.

 

[BarbieITFC]

Fremantle have a great opportunity to become the number one club in WA with their cross town rivals in the wilderness and looking at missing finals for the fifth consecutive season.
We've already seen Fremantle's average home crowds rise to 46,000 in 2024 thanks to West Coast being uncompetitive.
If Fremantle can achieve sustained success of making finals regularly while West Coast remain in the wilderness, there's no reason why they can't become the number one club in WA.

What are your thoughts?

In the context of where the clubs/teams are now...

...things that will happen over the next five years:

• Freo will win more games of footy than the Eagles
• Freo will appear in more finals than the Eagles
• Freo will have more AAs than the Eagles
• Freo will finish above the Eagles in the ladder every season
• Freo will overtake Eagles for Derby wins (it's currently 33-27 to Eagles)
• Freo will play more games in Tassie than the Eagles
• Freo will get more new members than the Eagles (especially school age kids)

...things that are likely to happen over the next five years:

• Freo may win a flag but the Eagles won't
• Freo may have a higher average attendance at Optus than the Eagles over the period (we did last year)
• Freo may have Brownlow and/or Coleman medallists but the Eagles won't

...things that will never happen, in the next five years or ever:

• Freo make more profit than the Eagles
• Freo have more members than the Eagles
• Freo have more back pages in the West Australian than the Eagles
• Freo have more free kicks at Optus than the Eagles

So it depends if you define number one club as being about membership, profit and media exposure - because if that's the case then the Eagles are set for life, and that's OK, it is what it is. No different to the Big Four teams in Melbourne - just because the Blues and Bombers have only made one prelim in the last 23 years between them doesn't stop them being far bigger clubs compared to the Saints, Roos, Bulldogs, Demons etc.

 

[JoondalupJ]

There is only two clubs they are already no.one?

 

[garlic munchers]

Maybe in 50 years time. Freo would also need to win multiple flags which in their history to date has been impossible

Will come quicker than you think:

 

[Aura]

Will come quicker than you think:

View attachment 2275527

That makes a lot of sense. Have you seen Geelongs membership growth over the past 15 years

 

[Taper]

So Freo's home crowds have risen, which we should thank WCE for.

Well the day has arrived. I've finally heard it all on Bigfooty.

Care to elaborate on that logic?

Games of footy are expensive to attend in WA and there are people who don't want to waste their money attending West Coast games.
They would rather attend Fremantle games so they get value for their money.