Where Fremantle Dockers' finals hopes sit ahead of clash with Carlton Blues

West Australian

5 days ago

Fremantle have officially hit the business end. And the task is now simple — just keep winning.
The high-flying Dockers — who have won nine of their past 10 games — jumped above Greater Western Sydney into sixth on the ladder on Thursday after the Giants were belted by the Western Bulldogs.
But the Dogs' victory means Justin Longmuir's side is likely now needs to win three of their remaining four games to play finals. That run starts with a clash with Carlton at Optus Stadium on Sunday, which they will enter as heavy favourites.
Fremantle then take on Port Adelaide, reigning premiers Brisbane and the Bulldogs in the final month of the season. According to Champion Data, that is the eighth hardest run home of any side.
The Bulldogs' stunning 88-point win over the Giants means their blockbuster round 24 match against the Dockers is already looming large as the one set to decide both teams' finals hopes.
If Luke Beveridge's side had lost, the Dockers would have almost certainly made finals by winning just two of their four remaining matches, taking the heat off their end to the season.
It means Fremantle fans should be right behind the Bulldogs' opponents across the next two weeks — and that includes West Coast.
The eighth-placed Bulldogs play battlers Melbourne off a 10-day break next Sunday, before they take on the last-placed Eagles at Marvel Stadium.
Beveridge said they are not looking any further than that clash with the Demons.
'It is that cliché about just the next opponent. We have got Melbourne at the 'G on a Sunday, which is a fair way away now, so we have a bit of time to think about it, which is not always a good thing,' Beveridge said.
'We really don't look much further.'
GWS are the only top-nine team the Bulldogs have beaten this season. It's the stat most likely to haunt them as they try to pip the Dockers in the race to the finals.
'We understand the criticism around not necessarily being able to eek our way further up the later and beating some teams above us,' Beveridge said.
'We understand that, we have got to own up to all of that.'
The Giants' defeat brings them back down into the pack. They could have cemented their place in the Thursday night blockbuster.
'The Bulldogs felt like they were playing for their season and clearly we weren't,' coach Adam Kingsley said.
'We'd prefer it didn't happen, but we have got an opportunity to respond. I don't think that (the performance) is us, and it hasn't been us for a long time, but it was tonight.'
Fremantle star Hayden Young's return has helped turbocharge their run to the finals.
He told The West Australian earlier this week the team's best football was good enough to beat any of their rivals at the top end of the ladder.
'We beat top of the ladder (Collingwood) last week, so it just proves to us that, you know, when we can play our brand for longer, we can beat anyone. And we keep believing in that and keep working on those few areas about not falling away,' Young said.