FREMANTLE young gun Connor Blakely has learnt a harsh lesson from Sunday's shattering defeat to Carlton after losing Marc Murphy in the frantic lead-up to the Blues veteran's match-winning goal.

Blakely was on Murphy at the boundary throw-in at Carlton's 50m line with 50 seconds left on the clock, but had his run impeded as Murphy surged forward before snapping a checkside goal to snatch a famous victory.  

"I certainly started on him and when it happened and after the game I was thinking about it. I just needed to force him to the boundary and I let him have the corridor," Blakely said.

"He's a really good runner and he spread forward really well on me, so that's something I'll definitely go through with Anthony Rock, the midfield coach, and Ross (Lyon).

"We don't just look at that stoppage, we look at all the stoppages throughout the game."

The Dockers were on track for an eighth victory when they led by 15 points with six minutes left but conceded four late goals to drop to a 7-7 record ahead of a crunch Western Derby on Saturday night.

Blakely denied Freo's confidence had taken a hit after consecutive losses to bottom-three sides Melbourne and Carlton.

The Dockers are clinging to eighth spot on the ladder and could significantly boost their hopes of a first September appearance since 2015 if they break an eight-game losing streak against the Eagles.

"I think after the couple of losses that we've had over the last few weeks, if it was against the Eagles or anyone else, we were just going to come out this week and play our best football," Blakely said.

MATCH PREVIEW Fremantle v West Coast

The clash will be the first Fremantle home Derby since the infamous Andrew Gaff hit on Andrew Brayshaw and the expected crowd reaction has been a major talking point.

Blakely insisted there were "no hard feelings" between the two players, although he talked up the rivalry between the clubs.

"Yeah, there certainly is (a rivalry). Obviously with how they're going and how they've been going over the last few years, they're a pretty successful team and we want to get up and play finals," he said.

"We haven't won a Derby since 2015 so there is a bit more feeling behind it. But at the same time, it is just another game of football."

Andrew Brayshaw tackles Andrew Gaff in this season's previous Western Derby. Picture: AFL Photos

The Dockers could pull a selection surprise and recall 36-year-old ruckman Aaron Sandilands (calf) for his first game this year, with Rory Lobb (foot) also in the mix to bolster the ruck division and a forward line short on marking targets.

With Eagles star Nic Naitanui building his minutes after his AFL comeback, Sandilands' workload could mirror his long-time rival if he does return.

"I'd love to see him back. He trained really strongly on Saturday, he had a big session, and he did really well there and he's been building really nicely over the last couple of months," Blakely said of Sandilands. 

"It was a really slow and cautious process with him, but it seems like he's back to nearly full fitness, so I think he's hopefully available for selection."