Fremantle Dockers defeat Geelong Cats to keep AFL Premiership hopes alive

Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said: "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."

The Fremantle Dockers got up, twice, to claim a 14-point win and breathe life into the club's best-ever chance of winning the AFL Premiership.

After the Dockers semi-final shocker against Hawthorn, the question was whether this young group, right at the beginning of their Premiership window, would be able to get off the canvas and land a blow.

History was against them in surviving a straight-sets exit, which would have been nothing short of humiliating after being crowned minor premiers just weeks ago.

Were they mature enough to handle the pressure, whether it was from a self-imposed sense of expectation, the external commentary or the actual on-field action?

Against Geelong, they delivered an emphatic response.

Shai Bolton's two goals in two minutes to start the match, and the Dockers five in the opening quarter — after just five all game against the Hawks — dismissed fears they were scarred from last week's loss.

Fremantle's opening half was a reminder of the football that saw them win 14 games in a row on their way to a club record 19 wins for the season.

They laid 45 tackles in a half of football, compared to 47 for the entire game against Hawthorn. It was a measure of the intensity they brought to the game, and they were rewarded with a 31-point lead.

That was the Dockers getting up from last week's loss.

But 23 minutes into the third term, they were down again.

Their mettle was tested, but their stars shone

Great sides — and Geelong is a great side — don't go down without a fight.

A lesser team, with a lesser coach, would have struggled to get a grip on the rampaging Fremantle as they surged to a five-goal lead.

But the Cats know a game isn't over until the final whistle. When Shannon Neale goaled just before half-time, there was a sense Geelong was getting going.

When Ollie Henry kicked his second just after the main break, that sense became a reality. Geelong took complete control of the game, as they kicked six goals to one to take the lead.

That was the moment the Dockers showed the steel that could land them an illusive Premiership.

It was also the moment Fremantle stars, who have earnt plaudits all season but were poor last week, got to work.

Luke Jackson tore the game apart with a five-minute burst that yielded eight disposals, three clearances and two goals. He finished the game with 25 disposals and eight clearances to live up to his moniker of "The Unicorn".

Caleb Serong drove his side into attack time and again and Andrew Brayshaw hunted the football like a man possessed.

The Dockers' three-headed monster in attack, which kicked just two goals and took five marks between them against Hawthorn, showed why they should be considered among the most feared forward line in the competition.

Patrick Voss booted four goals, Jye Amiss slotted two, while Josh Treacy took eight marks and booted one.

Handling the momentum shifts

Momentum is an intangible of sport. A side, for no discernible reason, gets on top for a period of time.

The Dockers enjoyed the momentum in the opening stages, but the Cats challenged after half-time.

"Our games against Geelong this year have had those momentum shifts," Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir told Channel 7 after the game.

"If you don't handle the contest well, which we didn't in the third quarter, gave up field position, lacked a bit of dare with the ball, we let them back in the game.

"I'm really proud of the way the players got back on top of the contest and thought Luke [Jackson] and Caleb [Serong] late in that third quarter were outstanding for us."

The Dockers lack of big scores in finals had been highlighted in the build-up to this game, but the 120 points they put on Geelong was the most they have ever scored in September.

"A lot has been mentioned about our scoring in finals and I think it's because we haven't trusted ourselves," Longmuir said.

"We trusted our way from the very start."

The Dockers will be hoping that trust travels with them to Sydney to face the Swans, with a berth in the Grand Final just one win away.