Once bitten, twice shy.

Twelve months after dropping all four games in August, Fremantle ensured history didn’t repeat itself on the final Sunday of the 2025 home and away season.

Fremantle will return to September for the first time since 2022 – and just the second time in Justin Longmuir’s tenure – after beating the Western Bulldogs by 15 points at Marvel Stadium.

Round 24 was a wildcard final, just without the tag, but just like the elimination final three years ago at Optus Stadium, Fremantle recovered from a sluggish start and gained control in the second quarter to surge towards a 17.10 (112) to 14.13 (97) victory in one of the most important home and away wins in the club’s history.

Seven second-quarter goals to none proved to be the difference in the game, amid a stretch where Fremantle kicked eight consecutive majors either side of half-time, while the Dogs didn’t kick a goal for 45 minutes of game time.

Freo won at both ends of the ground. Alex Pearce held Sam Darcy goalless to be one of the most influential players on the ground. Brennan Cox restricted Aaron Naughton. Luke Ryan directed traffic behind the ball.

The key Freo trio inside 50 – Pat Voss, Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss – kicked three each to expose the Bulldogs’ weakness in defence. Amiss got them going, but it was the aggression and presence of Voss and Treacy that kept them going.

With the wounds of last year still fresh – the losses to Essendon at the MCG in round 20, then Geelong, Greater Western Sydney and finally Port Adelaide at Optus Stadium in the final game of the 2024 home and away season – Fremantle made amends by securing a 16th win of 2025.

But it didn’t look good early. The Western Bulldogs registered the first six inside 50s and had the first three shots on goal, but couldn’t make the fast start on the scoreboard. It took a messy entry for Naughton to pounce, kicking a goal out of the air racing back to goal, which had to be reviewed in the ARC before being confirmed.

After making his debut against West Coast last Sunday – 18 months after he was selected at pick No.15 in 2023 – Jordan Croft was the main focal point in the first quarter, hauling in four early marks before kicking an important goal. Two other father-son recruits – Tom Liberatore and Rhylee West – also set the tone early.

The problem was it didn’t last.

Just when Fremantle needed one, Amiss kicked his second goal with a brilliant dribbler from the pocket to keep them in it. After stodgy ball movement to start the afternoon, Fremantle moved it quicker to change the momentum of the game. It was Shai Bolton. He was recruited for this reason. Then it was Amiss. Three of his first four kicks resulted in goals, after snapping a brilliant shot from the other pocket.

When Murphy Reid won a ball on the wing, gave it off, got it back, and drilled a goal on the run from just inside 50m, it summed up why the 2024 first-round pick would be a worthy Telstra AFL Rising Star winner. It was the fourth of a run of eight consecutive Fremantle goals. Fremantle had the Dogs on the ropes and on the cusp of a knockout when Pat Voss somehow fended off Rory Lobb and ran into an opening goal to put them four goals up at the main break. 

Treacy picked up where Fremantle left off before the main break to make it eight unanswered goals. It looked a long way back from here, before Joel Freijah gave the Dogs a pulse when he ended a run of almost 45 minutes of game time without a goal for Luke Beveridge’s side. 

Fremantle led by 32 points at the final break, but the Western Bulldogs didn’t throw in the towel. They fought it out, booting seven goals in the final quarter to give the Dockers a late fright. But the final margin wasn’t a true reflection of the result. 

The last time these two sides played a game this important, Fremantle recovered from 41 points in the second quarter to win the 2022 elimination final at Optus Stadium. This wasn’t quite a game of that magnitude, but it was one of the most consequential home and way wins ever for Fremantle

WESTERN BULLDOGS             4.5          4.8          7.10       14.13 (97)
FREMANTLE                             2.2          9.4          13.6       17.9 (111)

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Freijah 3, West, Jones, Croft, Bontempelli, Naughton 2, Baker
Fremantle: Voss, Treacy, Amiss 3, Frederick, Bolton, Jackson 2, Reid, Erasmus

INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: TBC
Fremantle: Wagner (shoulder), Switkowski (ankle)

SUBSTITUTES
Western Bulldogs: Arthur Jones (replaced Jedd Busslinger in the third quarter)
Fremantle: Nat Fyfe (replaced Corey Wagner in the third quarter)

Crowd: TBC at Marvel Stadium

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