There had long been an air of inevitability that Nat Fyfe would stay at Fremantle before he signed his mammoth six-year contract extension.
Was there ever a chance Fyfe might test the free agency market? Maybe, after all he openly stated last year it would be "remiss" of him not to explore his options.
But the Brownlow medallist's consistent line was always that he saw his future at Fremantle, and he never seriously considered jumping ship as he weighed his decision to re-sign.
"Other than the prospect wandering across my conscience, no real thought was ever put into moving to another club – and I can say that really genuinely," Fyfe said on Monday.
"All the speculation and what-not floated around was mostly untrue and it was quite interesting to watch."
That speculation reached a crescendo in early May when a Perth radio host claimed St Kilda and Fyfe had stitched up a $1.5m per season deal.
The superstar midfielder's management slammed the report and Freo coach Ross Lyon laughed it off.
Carlton and Hawthorn had also been linked as potential suitors, but when the Saints officially pulled out of the Fyfe race last month, whispers of a move east largely went silent.
What was loud and clear all along was that Fremantle, who had the right to match any offer on the restricted free agent, wanted to keep Fyfe and he was equally keen to stay.
But following significant change last off-season, the 25-year-old understandably waited to see the direction the club was headed before recommitting.
That outlook appeared bleaker than many expected after two poor performances to open the season.
Fremantle, fielding the AFL's third oldest team in round two, had been humiliated by Port Adelaide and the blowtorch was on the entire club, but especially Lyon who was accused of being out of touch with modern, attacking football.
The narrative about whether Fyfe would stay suddenly changed to whether the Dockers should even try to keep him if he wanted to leave.
Even cool-headed commentator Dennis Cometti pondered the value of "having a marquee player if there is no marquee", and wondered if Freo would be better off letting Fyfe go in return for quality draft picks.
It was a view shared by others, with Freo's road back to finals contention looking long and bumpy.
Amid the fallout, Fyfe fronted the media at the club's request and insisted his focus was on his return from a broken leg, coming to grips with the captaincy and leading Freo out of the mire.
Ross Lyon has repeatedly praised Nat Fyfe's leadership. Picture: AFL Photos
He played a straight bat to questions about his future, adamant that he wouldn't be rushed into making a decision unless the pressure on him or his teammates reached a tipping point.
"I never have been, and we won't be, dictated to by the external pressure that builds," Fyfe said.
"Now is the time for some really cool heads. The blowtorch is on our club and it's on me and it's on (coach) Ross Lyon at the moment."
Fortunately for Freo that blowtorch cooled and Fyfe's tipping point never came.
An injection of youth revitalised the club, while the senior players led a remarkable turnaround.
From 0-2 Fremantle climbed to 6-3 and into fifth spot on the ladder.
Pressure on Fyfe to commence contract talks waned and, although his form was "scratchy" after a long stint on the sidelines, Lyon repeatedly praised his once-contentious leadership of a promising young side.
While there have been ups-and-downs since, the future looks bright.
The next generation such as Darcy Tucker, Griffin Logue, Ethan Hughes, Brennan Cox, Ryan Nyhuis and Sean Darcy look the part and recruits Bradley Hill, Joel Hamling and Cam McCarthy have been savvy additions.
Off the field, Freo have the best training facilities in Australia and WA football's new home at Perth Stadium will soon be the envy of the competition.
For Fyfe, it all added up to one thing – giving the green light for his manager Jason Dover to start contract talks, and a new deal was wrapped up within weeks.
His contract extension – believed to be worth $1-1.2 million per season – is the longest in club history.
After the disaster of 2016 sparked a rebuild and ushered in a new era, a key plank of Freo's side has been locked away until he turns 32.
And by the end of this contract the Lake Grace product should rival Matthew Pavlich as the greatest-ever Docker, especially if he can deliver on his mission to win Freo's maiden flag.
"I just see a really good opportunity at Fremantle to build something quite special and build towards, potentially, a first premiership," Fyfe said.
"There was no real reason for me to divert and go elsewhere looking for that dream."
