I don't think we are the runt of the litter. We rank 10 out of 18 for memberships, and I'm not sure where we rank for sponsorships, but it was near the bottom last time it was published. I think we sit lower-mid table for spending power and cache.
It would be nice to be able to outspend every other club to get the most highly sought after fitness guru in the league. We'd probably have to pay a hefty premium given we're in Perth and an unsuccessful club. I think in some circumstances we might even be able to afford it if we were prepared to spend less money in other parts of the football department.
But if you thought there was a chance you were about to pay out a big chunk of the coaching staff in the next year, do you think you could justify that sort of spending on a fitness guy right now? Remember, sacked coaches salaries count against the football department cap, meaning for every dollar over that cap we spend, we send more to our competitors in tax.
I know the people running the club tried to talk it up as a power club, but I reckon they know more than most Freo's position in the league. We'll stick with the same guy we've got, or we'll take a punt on a promising (re: cheap) un-and-comer who is keen to show his wares to other, bigger clubs.