They have managed to fend off the circling rivals for now, but Fremantle will need to start scrimping and saving every penny to prepare for when Nat Fyfe comes off contract again in 2017.
Fyfe ended months of speculation about his future on Thursday by re-signing with the Dockers on a three-year deal believed to be worth around $2.5 million.
GWS reportedly made an informal offer of more than $1 million per season in an attempt to nab Fyfe.
It also emerged on Thursday night that another, unnamed club offered Fyfe a whopping seven-year deal.
Fyfe confirmed on the AFL360 program that the club had put the feelers out to his management about a seven-year contract.
When pressed, Fyfe would only say that the club was outside Perth.
But the 22-year-old was always keen to stay at Fremantle, especially with the club in the middle of its premiership window.
Fyfe will be a restricted free agent by the time his new contract expires at the end of 2017.
And if his current trajectory continues, Fyfe will be the hottest player in the game by that time, and could command a long-term deal in the vicinity of $1.4 million a season on the open market.
Fremantle will have the chance to match any rival offers.
But finding room in their salary cap for such a large output while keeping other star players happy will require a delicate balancing act.
Fyfe said the length of his new deal suited both him and the Dockers, with the prospect of free agency also coming into his thinking.
"Obviously commercially with the free agency window, it brings me out as an eight-year player, and Fremantle will have the first option to retain me as a free agent," Fyfe said on Thursday.
"Three years is a perfect fit. My last contract was three years as well.
"Any longer than that there's the possibility to potentially become complacent."
Fyfe's re-signing is a huge boost for the Dockers as they chase premiership glory over the next few years.
The 190cm West Australian now hopes Victorian David Mundy will follow his lead by penning a new deal.
"I love playing with David Mundy, and I'm really hopeful he'll stay here at Freo," Fyfe said on Thursday.
"But he's got a lot of things to weigh up with his family and management."
With Matthew Pavlich set to retire in the not-too-distant future, Fyfe has been touted as a future captain of the club.
It's a position Fyfe hasn't necessarily aspired to, but a responsibility he would happily accept if voted in by the playing squad.
Fyfe was a bargain selection at pick No.20 in the 2009 national draft.
He has gone on to notch 83 games over five seasons; playing a vital role in guiding Fremantle to their maiden grand final appearance last year.
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