FREMANTLE will be out to avoid the humiliation of a straight-sets exit as minor premiers when it hosts the battle-hardened Geelong in a do-or-die semi-final.
The Dockers failed to rise to the occasion of a home qualifying final as the Hawks dialled up the pressure to hand the best side of the home and away season a resounding defeat. Justin Longmuir's team is now on the brink of following the Crows last year as the only minor premiers in four decades to be eliminated in straight sets.
However, Fremantle did more than enough to earn a double chance with a club-record 19 wins and can be buoyed by the fact 18 of the past 25 minor premiers have gone on to reach the Grand Final.
The Cats took another step towards Grand Final redemption as they pulled from their wealth of finals experience to outclass the Blues in an elimination final. Chris Scott's side has won seven consecutive matches by an average of 35 points but will now face their first genuine contender since their back-to-back defeats to the Dockers and Lions, which came before a third straight loss to the Giants.
While Fremantle carries the weight of trying to reach a first preliminary final since 2015, Geelong is on familiar ground and is out to finish in the top four for an 11th time in its 16th season under its coach.
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