FREMANTLE coach Justin Longmuir has spoken for months about living in the moment as his team has picked itself up after a slow start, built into one of the form teams of the competition, and now entered the premiership conversation.
The mantra of living in the moment has translated on-field as the Dockers own their moments, particularly late in games, and become a clutch team that knows it can get the job done in fourth quarters.
The 12-6 Dockers have been involved in six games decided by 13 points or less since round 10, winning five of them and coming from behind at three-quarter time on three occasions.
A long list of clutch moments deep in games has built over that period, including vital goals from Luke Jackson, Jye Amiss and Sean Darcy, defensive marks and spoils from Josh Treacy, crucial clearances from Caleb Serong, and chasedown tackles from a desperate backline.
Half-forward Sam Switkowski, who has shown his own credentials late in games since returning from a hamstring injury, said the Dockers' belief was growing when they were involved in close finishes. A focus on staying in the moment was critical.
"It can be very easy as a footballer when you come up against an opposition to maybe think about the last time you played them, what happened, or depending on where a team is on the ladder to start to build a narrative in your head of how you think things are going to go," Switkowski said on Tuesday.
"But we've just learned over the year and probably over a number of years that that sort of thinking doesn't help us at all.
"So just coming in and getting the most out of our training, our meetings, our gym, recovering well, preparing for the next opposition, all those things, doing them the best we can every week, that's what has set us up the best to perform on the weekend."
The question after beating ladder leader Collingwood at the MCG is whether Fremantle is now a legitimate premiership contender.
Having sat third on the ladder going into the last month of the season in 2024, some may hesitate to see the Dockers in that light after watching them fall away and miss finals last year.
Hardened by that disappointment, however, Fremantle appears to have learned from its shortcomings by taking its fitness to another level. Longmuir declared pre-season that he believed the team could outlast anyone physically, and he is being proven right deep into the season.
With confidence in their preparation, Switkowski said the players were now applying themselves more consistently late in games to make sure they took their moments.
"On the weekend you would have seen just the big moments that you need to capitalise on, you just can't give good teams like Collingwood an inch," Switkowski said.
"In the past, maybe we would have dropped off for a minute or two in that period and it would have hurt us.
"But I just felt like the team was really consistent in applying the plan and just being really fierce in the contest and holding up under pressure.
"That was really pleasing, and the belief keeps building every time we can put in a strong performance like that."
Having proven they can handle the big moments on game day, the Dockers now face the challenge of high expectations going into a Western Derby that they are expected to win convincingly.
Switkowski said the Dockers' maturity and experience was having an impact on-field, particularly with their ability to switch modes depending on what the game demanded.
Now that same experience and maturity will be needed off-field as they seek to stay in the moment, do what's needed to secure a return to finals, and handle expectations.
"I think we've clearly developed and grown a lot and come a long way in that space. So there's going to be more challenges thrown our way over the rest of the season," Switkowski said.
"But I absolutely feel more confident in the group to be able to handle those challenges and that pressure and see what we can do."
