Well, we attracted B.Hill (triple Premiership player), Hamling (Premiership player 2016), McCartney & Kersten last season after finishing 16th with 4 wins and Fyfe out of contract at the end of the next season. All this after playing in a Prelim in 2015.
I would have thought the promise so many youngsters showed this year (think Darcy, Cox, Ryan & Logue), along with Fyfe signing on for 6 more years and practically every other player we want (including several Victorians) re-signed plus (as much as it might sh#t many Dockerlanders) probably the best facilities in the AFL at our disposal - that we would very much be a 'destination' club. Particularly for WA-bred players.
Missing out on McGovern (who hadn't made any mutterings of being home-sick - from my memory) is less a reflection on Freo and more a reflection of him showing loyalty to the club who picked him up in the 3rd round @ 43 in 2014 (we picked up Lachie Weller @ 14 & Connor Blakely @ 34) and the chance to enjoy sustained success.
P.S. Having just read what, even for The Worst, can only be described as one-sided BS (
here) coz we 'missed out' on M. McGovern - I'm even more convinced of my earlier thoughts. Seeing how his brother plays for the Weagles and they are apparently in Premiership-mode (cough-cough) - I thought it was a 'kick in the teeth' to them that little brother chose to stay in the most boring city (prob State, excluding the Barossa) in the country instead of suiting up with big bro'. The depth of hatred of Freo within the WA footy media knows no bounds.