FREMANTLE survived an almighty scare from North Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, clinging on to record a desperate six-point win after a match-saving mark from star forward Josh Treacy. 

The Dockers had a 28-point lead mown down in the fourth quarter by the determined Kangaroos and led by just one point in the final minutes when star ruck Luke Jackson stepped up to snap a critical goal. 

ROOS V DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats

North had an opportunity to draw the game late when they pumped the ball inside 50m, but an outnumbered Treacy reeled in an almighty mark to save the game, with Fremantle holding on to win 10.13 (73) to 10.7 (67). 

The Dockers were well below their best after the mid-season bye and met a fanatical North team that pressured relentlessly all night. But Freo ground out the match to record a fourth straight win and bed down its position in the top eight.  

The win will come with great relief in a North Melbourne home game that had been sold to Western Australia, with the Kangaroos departing Perth with a 1-1 record from their back-to-back home games in the west. 

The Dockers were edged in clearances (37-41), inside 50s (48-60) and contested possessions (147-150), with North ensuring it was a hard-fought game where nothing was easily won. 

The Roos’ skill errors and inability to punish the Dockers the other way played a big part in the final result, which could have easily gone the other way after some desperate late efforts from North.   

Caleb Serong (36 disposals and eight clearances) and Andrew Brayshaw (31 and nine) played big roles, while Jordan Clark (26 and eight rebounds) continued an All-Australian calibre season. 

Pat Voss booted three critical goals and was the most dangerous key forward, involving himself relentlessly in forward 50 contests, while Treacy went goalless but played a big role aerially and setting up others.  

North Melbourne played with great spirit early, soaking up Fremantle’s run of inside 50s in a high-pressure start and then counterpunching to kick the first two goals of the game through midfield star Luke Davies-Uniacke and Zac Fisher. 

Davies-Uniacke was outstanding through the first quarter, dominating the midfield with 13 disposals and four clearances to get the ball going North's way, with the Roos working tirelessly to get numbers to every contest and secure a two-point lead at the first change.

Their intensity remained high to start the second quarter, and Nick Larkey could have built on their lead if a brilliant tackle on Bailey Banfield in the goalsquare was rewarded with a free kick. 

It was not, and the Dockers made their move with a run of five unanswered goals, including a burst of three in 46 seconds of playing time that turned the game on its head. 

Voss was central to the Dockers' charge as heavy rain hit Optus Stadium, booting two goals, while midfielder Corey Wagner launched a terrific goal on the run from 50m, leaving the Dockers 21 points clear at half-time. 

The third term was calamitous as North tried but failed to punish a Fremantle team that lost its way briefly. The quarter was riddled with skill errors for the Roos, including a chance gone begging for Finn O'Sullivan who missed the ball entirely when trying to kick off the ground in an open goalsquare. 

Long goals from Luke Parker and then Jack Darling on the siren kept North just close enough to strike if they were good enough. 

They got scores level deep in the final term after back-to-back goals from Larkey and a 50m bomb from Luke Parker, but couldn't finish the job.  

Contrasting goalline moments
North Melbourne youngster Finn O'Sullivan had two major involvements on Saturday night that went different ways for his team. The first was a gilt-edged goalscoring opportunity that went begging when he chose to soccer the ball off the ground instead of picking it up when in space at the top of the goalsquare, having a fresh-air shot and missing the ball and the moment. The second was redemption in the final quarter when scores were level. Shai Bolton launched a brilliant kick across goal to Michael Frederick, but O'Sullivan made a desperate effort to get across and spoil, saving a certain goal. They were big moments to learn and grow from for a young player, with a breakeven result.

Treacy makes his mark 
It was a different type of match for Josh Treacy, who went goalless on Saturday night but still found a way to have a big impact on the contest. The key forward worked high up the ground to take his eight marks, finishing with six contested grabs including the match-saver deep in defence in the final moments when surrounded by at least three opponents. It was a third straight goalless game for the young star, but he has still been a factor in each of those wins against Port Adelaide, Gold Coast and North. His ability to shake off tackles and keep the ball moving, get the team out of a sticky situation with a big grab, or kick the ball inside 50 with precision made him a valuable player on Saturday night, regardless of his own scoreboard impact.   

The travelling Roos 
A 1-1 result from two games in WA is a fair return for North Melbourne, which will pocket a significant purse from the pair of 'home' games it sold to the state this year. After a win against West Coast in Bunbury, there was good support at Optus Stadium for the Roos on Saturday night and the travelling fans generated plenty of atmosphere in the fourth quarter. The question was posed, however, whether this would have been a win for the club if it was played on home soil. The Roos return to Melbourne now having played at six different venues in their past seven matches, including matches in Hobart, the Barossa and Bunbury. Coach Alastair Clarkson said he understood the challenge faced by the club to "balance the books" and the team was happy to hit the road until it can generate the required revenue at home.

NORTH MELBOURNE  3.1    4.3    6.5   10.7 (67)
FREMANTLE               2.5    7.6    9.9    10.13 (73)

GOALS 
North Melbourne: Larkey 3, Parker 2, Darling, Davies-Uniacke, Fisher, Konstanty, Sheezel, 
Fremantle: Voss 3, Jackson 2, Bolton, Reid, Serong, Switkowski, Wagner 

BEST
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Sheezel, Xerri, Larkey, McDonald, Parker, McKercher
Fremantle: Brayshaw, Voss, Serong, Bolton, Clark, Switkowski, Jackson 

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil 
Fremantle: Switkowski (hamstring) 

SUBSTITUTES 
North Melbourne: Robert Hansen Jnr (replaced Kallan Dawson in the third quarter)
Fremantle: Nat Fyfe (replaced Neil Erasmus in the third quarter)

Crowd: 31,408 at Optus Stadium