FREMANTLE will be out to avoid the humiliation of a straight-sets exit as minor premiers when it hosts the battle-hardened Geelong in a do-or-die semi-final. 

The Dockers failed to rise to the occasion of a home qualifying final as the Hawks dialled up the pressure to hand the best side of the home and away season a resounding defeat. Justin Longmuir's team is now on the brink of following the Crows last year as the only minor premiers in four decades to be eliminated in straight sets.

However, Fremantle did more than enough to earn a double chance with a club-record 19 wins and can be buoyed by the fact 18 of the past 25 minor premiers have gone on to reach the Grand Final.

The Cats took another step towards Grand Final redemption as they pulled from their wealth of finals experience to outclass the Blues in an elimination final. Chris Scott's side has won seven consecutive matches by an average of 35 points but will now face their first genuine contender since their back-to-back defeats to the Dockers and Lions, which came before a third straight loss to the Giants.

While Fremantle carries the weight of trying to reach a first preliminary final since 2015, Geelong is on familiar ground and is out to finish in the top four for an 11th time in its 16th season under its coach.

Fremantle might need to replace Brandon Walker after the pacy defender was forced out of his first game back since round one with a nasty ankle injury against the Hawks. Brennan Cox could return to bolster the defence as he recovers from a calf issue, while former Demon Judd McVee, Bailey Banfield and Corey Wagner will also hope for a recall.

The Cats' greatest concerns again centre around Max Holmes and Jeremy Cameron. Speedster Holmes played limited game time on his return from a serious ankle injury and showed signs of distress after accidentally kicking the turf during the win against the Blues. Cameron remains under a fitness cloud after battling through two matches after a stint on the sidelines, but it would be a huge call to replace him with the likes of Jack Martin or Jhye Clark.

Where and when: Optus Stadium, Friday September 11, 6.10pm AWST

WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR?

Round 15: Fremantle 14.15 (99) d Geelong 14.6 (90) at Optus Stadium

Fremantle turned the tables on the only side to have defeated it to this point of the season when overcoming a 28-point deficit to win a heavyweight clash with Geelong. The Dockers worked their way back into the game with five straight goals either side of half-time, then pulled away with another five-goal streak before the last change. Luke Jackson continued his strong stretch of form as the Dockers' first-choice ruck with 28 disposals, nine tackles, 25 hitouts and three goals, while Jye Amiss shook off a case of the yips to kick a pair of crucial second-half majors and finished with 3.4. The Cats threatened to mount a late challenge but were far from disgraced in a loss to the ladder-leaders while missing Bailey Smith and Tom Stewart.

Round one: Geelong 16.14 (110) defeated Fremantle 14.16 (100) at GMHBA Stadium

Geelong avoided starting the season with a pair of defeats as it stormed home in the second half to claim a come-from-behind victory against Fremantle. The Dockers gave an early sign that they would be a contender this year as they opened up as much as a 35-point lead before the Cats woke up and booted 10 of the last 13 goals of the game. Key forward Shannon Neale equalled his career-best tally with five goals while returning gun Jeremy Cameron (three goals) and Shaun Mannagh (three) added to the firepower in attack. Luke Jackson (27 disposals, 22 hitouts, 10 clearances, one goal) partnered with Sean Darcy (10, 22) in the ruck to give their side first use of the ball but the Dockers could not prevent the Cats slicing them up on the outside.

THE STATS THAT MATTER

Fremantle

The Dockers have lost three of their past four matches by an average of 24 points after winning 18 of their first 20 in a club record-breaking home and away campaign. Flirting with their form after locking in a top-two finish could come back to bite the minor premiers as cracks have been exposed across the field. Kicking only five goals from 57 inside 50s during the loss to the Hawks is a glaring concern. But the Dockers are also being beaten at their own game as they scored only 17 points from turnover in the qualifying final defeat – their lowest score from the source in six years – while giving up 32 turnovers in their own back half.

Geelong

The Cats enjoyed a charmed run home with six wins against sides that finished in the bottom half but used the stretch to fine-tune their game at both ends. Their defence turned the screws on the Blues to contain arguably the form team of the competition to under 100 points for just the second time in coach Josh Fraser's 16-match reign. The Cats also passed 100 points for the sixth time in their seven-match winning streak – a stretch when they have averaged 114 points a game. The balance on the scoreboard is influenced by Geelong's strong front-half game that was on show as it outscored Carlton 59-14 from forward-half chains in a 33-point win.

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR ...

Fremantle

The Dockers entered the finals series with triple-headed monster Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss and Patrick Voss the envy of the competition. But the Dockers were handed a reality check as their key forward trio combined for only two goals from five marks and nine kicks, while Voss was unable to curb the influence of Hawks co-captain James Sicily and heard all about it after the final siren. The firebrand forward has an opportunity to quickly make amends this week in a critical role on Tom Stewart. The Cats' five-time All-Australian helped turn the game against the Blues with his intercept marking across the back half, and while the Dockers will be happy for Voss to add to his 41 majors this season, unsettling Stewart could be his main goal. 

Geelong

The Cats have continued to expand their onball brigade even at the pointy end of the season with the surprise addition of Shaun Mannagh. The late bloomer attended 62 per cent of centre ball-ups against the Blues and has averaged 29 disposals and 5.5 clearances over the past two games while staking a claim to be part of the Cats' first-choice midfield rotation. Mannagh has not lost his scoring threat even while spending more time further up the field. He remains a danger at stoppage and has kicked at least one goal in his past eight matches to make it 36 for the year. The 29-year-old has shown his intensity and tackling are an asset in the forward half but they can now help the Cats dial up the pressure on the under-siege Dockers' own midfielders this week. 

PREDICTION

Fremantle must learn from its mistakes after it seized up and played without enough attacking dare or pace on the ball in a dismal defeat to Hawthorn. The opportunity to right those wrongs on home turf is one that it earned early in an imperious campaign, and should be enough to counteract the grit and finals experience that Geelong is sure to bring to Optus Stadium. Fremantle by 11 points.

IT WAS an emotional rollercoaster but Fremantle's premiership aspirations are alive, edging Geelong by 14 points in front of tense yet raucous club-record 59,725 fans at Optus Stadium on Friday night.

The indomitable Luke Jackson produced a final for the ages with 25 disposals, 35 hitouts and two goals to ensure the minor premier avoided the ignominy of a straight sets finals exit, triumphing 18.12 (120) to 16.10 (106).

DOCKERS v CATS Full match coverage and stats

The result sends Fremantle into a preliminary final for the first time since 2015, where it will take on Sydney at the SCG. The long-suffering Freo fans' optimism will be re-ignited, fuelled by a rare 'Wharfie Time' when Geelong closed late.

Geelong, which won seven straight games to get to this point after their fadeout against Greater Western Sydney in round 18, miss the final four for only the second time in the past eight seasons under Chris Scott.

The Dockers exorcised their first-quarter finals demons, kicking six goals to two in the opening term to open up a 31-point lead, but Geelong stayed in touch, eventually hitting the front with Jeremy Cameron's goal midway through the third putting them eight points up.

Enter Jackson, who produced a heroic five-minute patch late in the third, kicking two goals and setting up another for Patrick Voss (who finished with four goals) – inflicting nightmares for young Cats ruck Mitch Edwards in the process.

Fremantle led by as much as four goals in the last but nothing is ever easy, and the Cats simply wouldn't roll over.

Bailey Smith (29 disposals) never stopped, Ollie Henry booted a game-high five goals and Shannon Neale kicked three to keep them in touch.

The Cats got within eight points with just over a minute left in the game thanks to a rare Tom Stewart goal, before Fremantle unleashed its trademark 'Wharfie Time', frenzying the home fans. Those fans willed Voss to nail the sealer as the Dockers held out in a game full of twists and turns.

Jackson was the standout, but Shai Bolton (26 disposals) weaved his magic early, jumping out of the blocks with two goals within the first two minutes of the game.

Freo gained its dominance at clearance, winning 44-31, including 23-13 centre clearances for the game.

After being jumped by Hawthorn last week, Justin Longmuir's side had put a focus on starting fast, and they delivered - Fremantle's six-goal opening-term outdoing their entire tally against the Hawks.

Longmuir had promised in the pre-game his side would be braver and would take on the game. That was evident, with Freo employing a proactive handball game style, registering 54 to 25 handballs by the first change.

It fuelled the Dockers' fast start, along with a centre clearance dominance initiated by Jackson alongside his determined onballers; Hayden Young's 55m running goal out of the middle underlining that.

But Geelong stayed in the fight, keeping within arm's reach throughout the second and stealing the momentum early in the third.

That momentum came as Chris Scott looked to arrest Fremantle's centre-clearance dominance by clamping Young and Caleb Serong, with Oisin Mullin and Mark O'Connor going to work on the pair.

Henry booted three goals in the third to twice cut the margin back to four points.

Patrick Dangerfield's set shot put them ahead, before Cameron slammed home his second goal from the goal square, opening up a 10-point lead and a swathe of groaning mouths among the Freo faithful.

Then Jackson stepped up, as the Dockers somehow re-claimed the lead in a blistering patch, which included two goals in the final 38 seconds of the term, to lead by 16 at the final change.

Michael Frederick goaled from a tough angle early in the last to open up a four-goal lead, before Henry snapped brilliantly on his left from 35m for his fifth as the Cats kept pressing.

The anxiety persisted inside the stadium until Serong's 50m goal settled the nerves, with Stewart's consolation allowing an indulgent 'Wharfie Time' as Freo got home.

Freo fans faith finally re-paid
Fremantle will play in its first preliminary final in more than a decade with Fridaythe semi-final win restoring hope for their long-suffering fans. It had been a week full of anxiety for the Dockers and, in true Freo style, their clash with the Cats was never going to be easy despite an early 31-point lead. The Dockers have now avoided becoming the seventh top-four side in the past six seasons to go out in straight sets. And now there's hope.

ARC controversy denies Dempsey volley
There was ARC controversy early in the third quarter when All-Australian winger Ollie Dempsey appeared to produce a moment of magic, acrobatically volleyed over his shoulder under pressure from Matthew Johnson from Smith's wobbler to the goal square. The umpires called for a review, with the soft signal a point. The ball grazed Johnson's arm but the uncertainty was whether that was before or after Dempsey's boot made contact. In the end, the ARC determined insufficient evidence going with the umpire's call, which seemed hasty. A goal would've cut the margin to eight points.

All-Australian bounces back after donut
Josh Treacy had a season-low qualifying final against the Hawks, including zero marks, but bounced back emphatically in a determined display. The All-Australian centre-half forward had five marks by half-time, providing clever assists for two goals in the tight second term. 'The Big Cohuna' manfully played on after a heavy collision with teammate Mason Cox midway through the second, booting a long-range goal to re-claim the lead in the third quarter. He finished with a team-high eight marks.

FREMANTLE    6.2   10.5   15.6   18.12 (120)
GEELONG    2.1   7.2   12.8   16.10 (106)

GOALS
Fremantle: Voss 4, Amiss 2, Bolton 2, Dudley 2, Frederick 2, Jackson 2, Cox, Serong, Treacy, Young
Geelong: O.Henry 5, Neale 3, Cameron 2, Dangerfield 2, Mannagh 2, Stewart, Wiltshire

BEST
Fremantle: Jackson, Bolton, Young, Treacy, Reid, Brayshaw, Serong
Geelong: O.Henry, Smith, Humphries, Neale, Dangerfield, Mannagh

INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Geelong: Nil

Crowd: 59,725 at Optus Stadium