FREMANTLE is not being fooled into thinking West Coast is out of form ahead of Sunday's Western derby, Dockers coach Ross Lyon says.

The Dockers are aiming to cause an upset on Sunday at Domain Stadium despite being rank underdogs, given they have won just three games this season and they are coming off a 90-point hammering at the hands of the Sydney Swans last week.

The Eagles sit in sixth spot on the ladder but their legitimacy as a top-four contender has been questioned following the loss to Collingwood at the MCG last week.

But Lyon said he's not buying any of the talk that the Eagles are struggling.

"In a tough competition to win eight of your last (11) … we're not being fooled that they're out of form," Lyon said.

"Eight out of your last (11) in this competition is elite."

Lyon said the Dockers had plenty to play for in the last month of the season, particularly after such a poor showing against the Swans.

"We haven't put our best foot forward all year in a general sense and it's an opportunity to improve," Lyon said.

"Everyone talks about flicking the bails and all those things. Clearly we can't get to where we want to be, but there's plenty of things for us to play for, and really it's about improvement."

The Dockers are set to have a significant list turnover at the end of the season and Lyon said players could shape their own futures with their performances over the next month.

He cited defender Alex Silvagni's return last week as an example of a player who had made a strong case to remain on the list next season.

"What we display now does count, last week counts," Lyon said.

"We're making list management decisions, and it's not locked in. We're working through that. Alex Silvagni comes in and does a really good job you think, gee is there a bit in him. There's plenty for us to play for."

The Dockers have lost the last two derbies after winning the previous six, and would be keen to avoid a third consecutive loss to their cross-town rivals for the first time since 2011-12.