I think we can all accept the premise that the AwFuL is a two tier competition.
Let's label these two levels "the favoured" and "the rest".
It's not too difficult to identify some of the favoured clubs: Hawthorn, Sydney, Geelong, West Coast, Adelaide, GWS, maybe Collingwood. Essendumb aren't favoured anymore, of course, but they'll be rehabilitated soon enough. Fremantle are very definitely back there, among "the rest", alongside the other easily identifiable out-of-favour clubs like Port Adelaide, Brisbane, maybe St Kilda.
As one of "the rest", Fremantle will never receive the sort of AFL HQ support that, for instance, facilitated the Buddy Franklin move to Sydney.
As one of "the rest", Fremantle will never be a club of first choice to top notch, experienced free agents.
As one of "the rest", Fremantle will never enjoy the rub of the green with the umpiring department, or the MRP.
As one of "the rest", Fremantle's main role is to make up the numbers. In the view of the AFL, success for a club like Fremantle isn't necessary.
I can't offer any genuine proof for these assertions, of course, but after so many years following the Dockers, and puzzling over the sometimes baffling agendas that the AFL seems to always have in play, I'm cetain that this is how things are.
