FREMANTLE earned its most wins in a home-and-away campaign to secure a second minor premiership, but now has its eyes set on a much bigger prize as it hosts Hawthorn in a qualifying final on Thursday night. 

The Dockers were unstoppable as they put together a club record 14-match winning streak between rounds two to 16 to set up a new benchmark of 19 victories in a season. But two defeats in their last three games heading into the finals will give coach Justin Longmuir cause for concern, despite his side rotating and resting key players late in the season. 

>> Don’t miss a moment of thrilling finals action! Watch Fremantle v Hawthorn LIVE in the qualifying final from 8.10pm AEST (6.10pm AWST) on Seven, 7plus, Kayo Sports and Fox Footy      

The Hawks were entrenched in the top four for all but one week through the second half of the season on the way to locking in a double chance for the first time since a straight-sets exit in 2018. But a loss and a draw in their past three matches, before ending the home-and-away season with a win, point to their own form issues.

The Hawks' record against the Dockers at Optus Stadium is one made to be broken, with their only win coming in their first clash at the venue eight years ago – long before the introduction of 'Wharfie Time'.

The Dockers have enjoyed a charmed run with injury through much of the season and should only be missing key defender Brennan Cox from their first-choice side, although he was important in shutting down a red-hot Jack Gunston the last time the sides met. Jye Amiss, Heath Chapman, Sam Switkowski and All-Australian Murphy Reid should return after being managed in the round 24 loss to Carlton.

The Hawks expect to recall Jack Ginnivan after the firestarter missed the trip west to face the Eagles in the last round.

Where and when: Optus Stadium, Thursday, September 3, 6.10pm AWST

WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR?

Round nine: Fremantle 12.16 (88) defeated Hawthorn 11.7 (73) at Optus Stadium

Fremantle took a big step towards proving its premiership credentials with a rousing come-from-behind win against Hawthorn, but only after the Hawks gave the Dockers a huge scare on their home turf. The Hawks broke away early in the second term as Jack Gunston booted his third, fourth and fifth goals of the half within the space of five minutes. They looked headed for victory when the key forward added his sixth major of the night to open up a 19-point lead halfway through the final term. However, the ringing of the bell at Optus Stadium signalled the start of 'Wharfie Time' and the Dockers finally awoke to pile on a five-goal blitz for a win that sent a warning shot across the competition. 

THE STATS THAT MATTER

Fremantle

The number that will mean the most to the Dockers and their fans is three. That is how many decades – plus another year – the club has been waiting to claim an elusive premiership. And that is how many wins they are now away from breaking that drought. The Dockers can also turn to their 12 victories by an average of 38 points during a flawless run at Optus Stadium where they will now host two finals this year. Their hopes are underlined by the Dockers' balance between defence and attack, as the No.1-ranked side for points from clearance differential and scores from turnover differential. 

Hawthorn

The Hawks have remained in contention even while seeming to be a step behind the leading sides as they sat as high as third spot and as low as sixth since round one. This is highlighted in their simple for-and-against, as the sixth-highest scoring team while also having the fourth stingiest defence. A similar balance is shown in theirs for and against per inside 50, as the fourth-best in attack and ranked third in defence. Having both sides of their game humming would go a long way towards the Hawks claiming an upset win.

IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR ...

Fremantle

The Dockers tall trio in Jye Amiss (58 goals), Josh Treacy (54) and Patrick Voss (41) are as potent as any in the competition. The three forwards can each play as a focal point and tend to spread the goals around, while their threat is sure to occupy Tom Barrass, Josh Battle and James Sicily and limit the Hawks' defenders focus on cutting off Dockers attacks through intercept marks. Amiss in particular is hitting form at just the right time with three five-goal hauls – including a couple against finalists Melbourne and Adelaide – in the last month, as he finished fifth in the Coleman Medal with a career-high 58 majors. 

Hawthorn

The Hawks co-captain Jai Newcombe has proven in the past that he has the game built for finals and will again need to lead the way in the engine room if his side is to challenge the Dockers. The 25-year-old has averaged 29.2 disposals in five finals – six more than his home-and-away game average – but saves his greatest impact for the battle at the coalface. Newcombe has averaged 6.8 clearances during past finals and carried that form into the home-and-away season. The onball bull led the competition with an average of 7.6 clearances while the likes of Will Day (4.7) and Josh Ward (4) will need to shoulder more of the load this week. 

PREDICTION

The Dockers have their destiny in their own hands after earning the right to host a pair of finals at their home fortress. Their early dominance helped secure a top-two spot well before round 24, and being able to rest key players to ensure they are primed for the finals should also hold the minor premiers in good stead. The Hawks showed in their most recent clash with the Dockers that they will be no pushovers, but their record away from home against genuine contenders remains unproven. Fremantle by 11 points.

MINOR premier Fremantle's flag hopes have been dealt a major blow as Hawthorn produced a smash-and-grab masterclass with a 32-point win in Thursday's qualifying final.

Sam Mitchell's Hawks will progress to a home preliminary final in a fortnight while Fremantle will take the harder path, hosting the winner of Carlton-Geelong in the first semi-final next weekend.

DOCKERS v HAWKS Full match coverage and stats

The qualifying final marked Hawthorn's first since 2018, when it went out in straight sets, with the 10.12 (72) to 5.10 (40) victory putting it in the perfect position for a first premiership since the last of its treble in 2015, with Mitchell in that side.

Hawthorn finished with fewer inside 50s and fewer disposals but applied unrelenting pressure all night. It was an even spread for the Hawks, producing a mature display across the board, restricting Fremantle to only five goals for the game.

The triumph ended the Dockers' unbeaten 12-0 record at Optus Stadium this season at the most inopportune time for the hosts.

The Hawks went to work in the first half, kicking six goals to one, opening up an unassailable 33-point half-time lead to silence the crowd of 59,446 fans, Fremantle's best ever at home.

The defeat also extended Justin Longmuir's wait for a finals win, dating back to 2022, having lost a last-gasp home elimination final to Gold Coast last year, posing further questions about their readiness for a premiership assault.

In slippery conditions, Freo struggled with Hawthorn's heat, over-using the ball. The Hawks forced turnovers and looked dangerous on every entry led by Nick Watson, Dylan Moore and Jack Gunston (all two goals each).

Fremantle has rallied from second-half deficits throughout this season, but it couldn't find a way back against a resilient Hawks who had all the answers when the questions were posed.

Hawks co-captain James Sicily (26 disposals, 10 marks, 12 intercepts) was a brick wall in defence, while Will Day – playing his first final after missing the previous two campaigns due to injury – was tough in the contest with 14 contested possessions from 24 disposals.

Watson was a constant menace, with Longmuir deploying the recalled Brandon Walker on him from the get-go. Walker had his moments, before a third-term ankle injury ended his night, but Watson was afforded too much space, proving critical to the win.

For Fremantle, Jordan Clark, Andy Brayshaw and Neil Erasmus never stopped trying but it wasn't enough as the Dockers slumped to their third loss in four games.

In the first half, Freo had more of the footy but struggled to transition, while the Hawks' finals-like pressure forced turnovers, underlined by 10 tackles inside 50 before half-time.

The Dockers' famed triple threat were mere bystanders as Freo recorded its lowest first-half score in a final ever, despite only trailing on inside 50s 29-25.

It was a first half of few highlights for the hosts, although 150-gamer Clark's spectacular clunk, which posterised enigmatic Hawks small forward Jack Ginnivan, offered a bright spot.

Earlier, the Dockers kicked the opening goal through All-Australian Luke Jackson but the first term was all Hawthorn. The Hawks booted the next four playing smart finals footy.

The sell-out home crowd was hushed but still hopeful, only for goals from the canny Gunston followed by the industrious Moore to extend the lead to 33 points at half-time.

Amiss' goal within a minute of the restart sparked the crowd, but Hawthorn replied through Ginnivan. Freo kept coming with goals from Brayshaw and the retiring Sam Switkowski but Hawthorn replied within minutes each time to maintain its buffer at the final break.

Harry Morrison's goal early in the last, after more Watson magic on the wing, all but settled matters.

No Wharfie Time rally
The Dockers trailed by 33 points at half-time, with only one goal on the board, yet given the side's home record this season and propensity for barnstorming second halves, the Freo faithful had hope. Coming into the game, Freo boasted the best second-half differential (446) in the competition, ahead of Sydney (370) and Brisbane (251). The optimism was fuelled after Jye Amiss' goal 58 seconds into the second half but the rally never came, nor did "Wharfie Time" which has grown in reputation in its own conspicuous absence.

Hawks trump triple threat
Freo's forward triple threat had combined for 153 goals coming into Thursday's game, spread between Amiss (58 goals), Josh Treacy (54) and Patrick Voss (41). But they were all kept quiet by Tom Barrass, Josh Battle and Sicily respectively who all clearly won their individual battles. Battle was a standout, denying All-Australian centre-half forward Treacy a single mark for the game. Treacy only got his first kick with five minutes left, resulting in a consolation goal when the game was done and dusted. 

ARC OK with Wizard opener
The back page of Thursday's local paper was emblazoned with "No Wizards Allowed", so creative Hawks forward Nick Watson was always going to be a talking point through the night. That came early when Watson soccered Hawthorn's opener, crumbing a pack with devastating effect. But replays suggested Heath Chapman's finger grazed the ball after Watson made contact. The game was delayed as the ARC took a look, yet ticked it off, allowing the goal to stand. In the end, it was academic with the Wizard and Hawks way too good.

FREMANTLE       1.3     1.4     4.7    5.10 (40)
HAWTHORN                4.4     6.7     9.10      10.12 (72)
 
GOALS
Fremantle: Jackson, Amiss, Brayshaw, Switkowski, Treacy
Hawthorn: Gunston 2, Moore 2, Watson 2, Chol, Ginnivan, Lewis, Morrison

BEST
Fremantle: Clark, Brayshaw, Erasmus, Worner
Hawthorn: Sicily, Day, Battle, Watson, D’Ambrosio, Newcombe

INJURIES
Fremantle: Walker (ankle)
Hawthorn: Nil 

Crowd: 59,446 at Optus Stadium