THE ladder says Fremantle is the hunted but Danyle Pearce says the Dockers are still very much the hunters. 

Ross Lyon's men are undefeated after eight rounds and have become premiership favourites on the back of some ruthless performances over the first two months of the season.

But despite being four games clear of premiers Hawthorn, Pearce is emphatic that his side has not achieved anything yet and that's why there is no fear in the Dockers' group of a drop in form or standards.

Match preview: Crows v Dockers

"We haven't done anything," Pearce said on Wednesday. "We're still hunting."

"We can't put our hand up and say we've done anything. That's where the hunger is. We're striving like 17 other teams to win a premiership. Hawthorn is the back-to-back premier. They're the ones everyone's chasing."

Pearce said the team's performances so far this season could be attributed to the extra fitness work they did over the pre-season.

"We definitely worked as a team a lot harder over the break," he said.

"We came in on our Saturdays (during the summer), we did all that extra running where we've had the weekends off previously. 

"We've put in a lot of work over the course of the pre-season and I think it is standing up and it has been very beneficial for the team across the board."

Pearce said there was buy-in from the playing group after the coaches presented the idea at the start of the pre-season.

"They are trying to find better ways and more inventive ways to improve the game plan (and) the fitness staff (wanted us) to get fitter," Pearce said.

"The whole playing group said, 'ok, if it's going to help, let's go'."

"Watching the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn game over the weekend, it shows, any game can go down to the last minute.

"Just to know you have that under your belt, the fitness and the running, gives you the belief that no matter how long the game goes, no matter how tight it is going to be, after 120 minutes you are still going to be as good as you were at the start."

Pearce said there was an inherent trust amongst the Dockers playing group at the moment.

"I think we have the confidence in each other," Pearce said.

"I can look at any man alongside me and they can look at me and know that we are going to do the job we need to do - put our head over the ball, go back with the flight. That's the one thing I can say about us at the moment, there is that trust and desire to get better and improve.

"The guy behind me will put his body on the line and I will do the same."

The Dockers travel to Adelaide Oval on Saturday night to take on the Crows. 

Skipper Matthew Pavlich was subbed out of last week's win over North Melbourne with adductor tightness but he is set to play after training without issue on Tuesday.