Rory Lobb and Dockers wrestle during the round six match between Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium, April 21, 2023. Picture: Getty Images

FREMANTLE says it will focus on winning the hard ball instead of ruffling Rory Lobb's feathers in Saturday's clash with the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.

Lobb's messy exit from the Dockers at the end of last year meant there was a huge build-up when the 30-year-old travelled back to Perth in round six to face his former team.

Fremantle players, led by skipper Alex Pearce, tried to physically intimidate Lobb, but it proved to be a distraction as the Bulldogs soared to a thumping 49-point win.

The Bulldogs won the contested possession battle 154-129, with Fremantle's attempts to intimidate Lobb widely panned after the game.

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Dockers defender Hayden Young says his team will take a different approach this time.

"It was funny, last time we didn't really speak about him too much in the preparation, but we probably got a little bit off-task when we went after him a bit," Young said on Monday.

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"But this week it will just be preparation as per usual.

"We'll just focus on what we do really well, because when we lose sight of that, we lose our way a bit.

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"The last time against the Bulldogs, we got smashed in the contest, and they destroyed us with their balance and their ability to flick the ball around."

Fremantle's finals hopes appeared in jeopardy after post-bye defeats to Richmond and Greater Western Sydney earlier this month.

The 70-point loss to GWS, in which Fremantle was hopelessly outclassed in the clearances and contested possessions, set off huge alarm bells.

But the Dockers returned to their ball-winning ways against Essendon on Saturday night, scoring eight goals from stoppages on the way to a 32-point win.

Hayden Young during the round 15 match between Fremantle and Essendon at Optus Stadium, June 24, 2023. Picture: Getty Images

"We watched some pretty average footage against GWS," Young said.

"Our team defence and team contest wasn't our brand, and it was a bit of a wake-up call.

"I thought the first five minutes against Essendon we didn't do it well, they went end-to-end and we were like, 'Oh no, here we go'.

"But the ability to turn that around and get back to playing our footy and not be shocked by an average first five minutes of the game was really important.

"We were able to play the next three-and-a-half quarters of really good connected footy."

Fremantle sits 11th on the ladder with a 7-7 record, while the Bulldogs (8-6) are seventh.