On the eve of Fremantle’s top-of-the-table clash against the Sydney Swans, a $205-million redevelopment of the Dockers’ spiritual home has been endorsed to help stem the flow of purple to Perth’s outer-suburban Cockburn.

On July 8, ahead of the AFL ladder-leading Dockers’ Round 18 matchup versus second-placed Sydney on Thursday night, the Fremantle council’s strategic and general services committee unanimously endorsed a business case for the redevelopment of Fremantle Oval.

At the meeting, city chief executive Glen Dougall conceded the $205.3-million price tag of the project was “eye watering”. He said the city would now submit the business case for the project to Western Australia’s treasury department.