Had Fremantle never joined the AFL, who would you be supporting right now?

[Nothing]

Was a Souths supporter when I was a kid. When the Eagles joined the VFL (thereby guaranteeing the demise of the WAFL), I went off football altogether. So much so that I barely registered the birth of Freo, and didn't start paying attention until 2003 (so thankfully missed the Drum years).

So, in answer to the question: no one.

That's why I said Swan Districts. I didn't follow WC at all and lost all interest in footy from the late 80s until I returned from overseas in 1996/7.

 

[Electronic_Renaissance]

I suppose it depends on when you were born. Some lucky people here have never known the AFL without Freo in it.

Unfortunately I am part of the old crew. I admit it, I did support WC before Freo entered the comp. Probably just due to the East Coast vs West Coast thing. Never really a true fan, never a member and never bought any WC merch. Just wanted to beat those bloody Vics.

I jumped on board Freo as soon as they were in. Don't really know why, but probably something to do with not liking dickheads. It was like a breath of fresh air having another team.

Also, my WAFL team has always been Swan Districts. Interesting to find quite a few in this thread also support them.

 

[rubydoomsday]

Doggies. worked in Footscray for 7 years. proper community, good people. it meant the world to them winning the 2016 flag.

workmates used to joke that i should support the "team from the mighty west" and i had to remind them that my team comes from wayyyyy further west.

also: my WAFL team as a kid was always Bulldogs, so there's that.

 

[Tbonefreo]

Eagles. WA family so no real choice. I picked freo as a kid because of my grandad.

 

[westy1]

Went to most Eagles games in their first couple of years but could find it in myself to support them as much as zi did East Freo as a kid
The comtempt i felty fly them for ruining the WAFL was too much to overcome

Prior to that it was North but I got behind Sydney in the Lockett era as I was living in NSW at the time so probably would have stayed with them

 

[FreoMatt]

Probably West Coast, like I did before Freo came along.

I was an “Old Easts” supporter before AFL happened and only watched VFL to see how the West Aussies went, but must admit I jumped on the Eagles when they arrived, so probably still Eagles if no Freo. Any WA team is better than a Vic


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[anchor man]

I suppose it depends on when you were born. Some lucky people here have never known the AFL without Freo in it.

Unfortunately I am part of the old crew. I admit it, I did support WC before Freo entered the comp. Probably just due to the East Coast vs West Coast thing. Never really a true fan, never a member and never bought any WC merch. Just wanted to beat those bloody Vics.

I jumped on board Freo as soon as they were in. Don't really know why, but probably something to do with not liking dickheads. It was like a breath of fresh air having another team.

Also, my WAFL team has always been Swan Districts. Interesting to find quite a few in this thread also support them.

Gee, I could have written that,Other than the fack that I am a Souths follower, I agree totally.
I followed all the WA players in the VFL rather than one team,making Richmond giving me some pleasure with all the Souths boys there et times.

 

[Minz]

The evolution of team preferences is interesting. As a kid I was a wet toast supporter because West Australian (and annoyed the Vics, which is good). Switched to Freo as soon as they turned up, because that first side just played such watchable footy compared to the toast (2 premierships of utter boredom). And who doesn't love an underdog run on the smell of an oily rag?

Then went for Freo with wet toast second for a number of years (annoying the Vics, still good). Finally, went to the 2013 GF and ran into a miserable guy in a Hawthorn beanie and scarf outside the game afterwards. "Cheer up, your team won!" I said. "Oh, I'm not a Hawthorn supporter; I go for West Coast and just came over to boo the Dockers" he replied.

Since then I've had 2 sides - Freo and whoever's playing West Coast, who I hate with the fire of a thousand suns. May the washing machine eat one of of every pair of their socks!

 

[Deveraux]

Awesome thread.

The Lions. I was born, raised and still live in Central QLD. My wife was a Lions supporter well before I even watched AFL and her old man before that. They are my "second" team and I watch most of their games with her. Infact a few times we have danced and screamed like crazy people waking the neighbours, like their win over Geelong in 2013.

Having family in WA I lived over there for a few years prior to that. My sister bleeds purple and she brought me along to a game at the then Patersons stadium, well that was it. What a wonderful game, the seed was planted and grew into a purple beast!

 

[basashi]

Nah. Eagles are not that blue collar. More WP, Subi, Claremont with a smattering of EP.

Market research shows that the poorest parts of the city have the strongest eagle dominance. The only suburbs outside Freo with majority dockers support are cottesloe, Mosman park, peppie grove etc.
Also, freo ranks very high on market research wealth indicators like having private health insurance (2nd behind hawthorn) and having bought a book in the previous 3 months (1st). This data might be a bit old but I haven't seen much that would indicate a change. I think Freo supporters are also more likely to work in IT.

 

[basashi]

Went to most Eagles games in their first couple of years but could find it in myself to support them as much as zi did East Freo as a kid
The comtempt i felty fly them for ruining the WAFL was too much to overcome

Prior to that it was North but I got behind Sydney in the Lockett era as I was living in NSW at the time so probably would have stayed with them

I followed the debate at the time and I wasn't sold on the eagles. I told anyone who would listen that I would support a freo team when they came in. Went to a couple of eagles games a year but never really got behind them. Was happy for them to win a flag in their Matt Barber days.

If Freo never came in? would have either drifted away or gone with the eagles by default as the only wa team.

 

[Freo123]

I followed St Kilda in the VFL way, way back because they had the best looking guys.

 

[Freo]

Claremont since the 70's still do. Go Tigers!

 

[Alfonz]

I was a South supporter first and foremost. Used to go to the WAFL almost every week as a little kid. Would sit behind the goals and bang madly on the fence when a goal went through. Each quarter you would change ends so you were always in the forward line. Had my autograph book and would sprint onto the field to fill it up after every game. Good times.

I was not happy when WC took all our best players, and I never supported them nor anyone else. I cared far more what happened in the 1992 WAFL GF than whether WC would win a flag or not. Those WAFL warriors like the Collards, Marty Atkins, Craig Edwards ... still some of my favourite players.

I supported Freo from the beginning, but still was a massive South supporter. The 1997 GF was as good as it gets. Decided to watch the last quarter again now on YouTube.

Without Freo, I probably would have been in the wilderness, not really caring, and then ended up a bandwagon Brisbane supporter in my 20's. Was born there and moved to Perth when I was little. Moved back there for work after uni, and lived there during their dynasty. Still remember a classic Dockery performance where we were in front at 3/4 time, kicked a few to start the last, then proceeded to lose by 50 points when Brisbane kicked 14 goals or something in the last quarter.

 

[Arcassius]

Geelong. Born there, and they had an epic rivalry with the Eagles for a while

 

[PurpleDaze]

Being South Australian Probably Port Adelaide, I feel like we are very similar to port in a two horse town and the big brother always gets the coverage.

 

[freo84]

Brisbane Lions. Born and bred QLDer from a strong rugby league/union background.

I went for them way before i really cared about AFL but fell in love with Freo in 2009 and never looked back.

 

[Reynolds Number]

Another club that's cursed for as long as I follow them.

 

[Purple Suit]

This is a terrible thread and I hate my answer so much I will not write it.

 

[Torree]

Grew up East Freo and followed Nth Melbourne in the VFL. Freo member since the beginning but still enjoy following the Roos‘ games each week and also Port Adelaide, as felt a kinship with them since their entrance to the AFL.

 

[sdfc]

If West Coast had been called Perth I would have supported them. But I've got no interest in supporting a western suburbs club.

 

[Fyfster]

Loved Claremont in the WAFL and supported Carlton in The VFL because of the similar CFC logo continued to support these two teams until Freo was formed .
So can I still claim Carlton's last Premiership?

 

[TheMcManusNose]

This is a terrible thread and I hate my answer so much I will not write it.

Lol

Let's not all kid ourselves, if you're under 40 the answer is West Coast for most of us.