Dockers Face Uphill Battle Against Geelong in Semifinal

Fremantle is looking to turn around its recent AFL finals history as it takes on Geelong in a semifinal match. The Dockers, who have been one of the top teams all season, suffered a loss to Hawthorn last week, but coach Justin Longmuir remains hopeful about their chances.

"There's still a path there. So everything we've been working on across the course of the year, we've got to lean into that now," Longmuir said after the loss to Hawthorn. "[I] understand that the outside noise might turn a little bit from positivity to negativity. I understand that aspect of it, but as a group, we've got to lean into each other and try [to] find our best footy before next week."

The Challenge Ahead

Fremantle's loss to Hawthorn was its first home defeat in 13 games at Perth Stadium this season. The Dockers have been the best and most complete football team across the 2026 AFL season, but their form has dipped recently. According to Longmuir, the biggest story is what is happening at the contest - or more importantly what isn't happening.

Fremantle's midfield and front half group is blessed with attacking talent, able to turn a half-chance into a broken line or shot at goal. They are sometimes less able to control the ball when it hits the deck, especially when there are even numbers at the contest. Against disciplined midfields, the Dockers have struggled to find the supply they need to churn the scoreboard over.

Tackling the Contest

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell was clear on their focus around keeping extra numbers at the contest. "Our forwards' work rate was a real highlight. We didn't always use the ball at our best, but the way they created outnumber after outnumber was huge," Mitchell said after the win over Fremantle.

"I just thought [the] contest was pretty even, but I thought their contest method was a lot better than ours. I thought they were probably a little bit more decisive to get it to the outside [and] buffer pressure," Longmuir said after the match.

The Road to Glory

Despite the downward turn in form, there is definitely still a clear path to the club's maiden AFL premiership cup. However, the road to glory has become significantly harder than it looked a week ago. Instead of a week off to recoup before a home preliminary final, the Dockers instead face one of the most feared sights in footy; Geelong when it matters most.

Geelong has ridden a six-match winning streak coming into the finals, albeit against some softer opposition. Last week's win over Carlton was dominant but still left the indication that there is room to grow.