Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said his team can still win back-to-back finals and remain a premiership threat, despite Thursday’s disappointing Qualifying-Final loss to Hawthorn.

That loss to the Hawks at Optus Stadium puts the Dockers into a home semi-final next week.

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They will need to win two consecutive finals, including a potential interstate preliminary final, to reach the Grand Final.

But Longmuir pointed to Fremantle’s 14-game winning streak during this season, as well as its ability to win on the road, as evidence his players were capable of responding.

“We’re not dead and buried,” Longmuir said.

“We’ve earned the right for a double chance. I’ve got full faith that we can get back to our best footy really quickly, and that starts next week.

“We’ve got eight days to regroup, get a few things right, and come out and play our best footy.”

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Fremantle struggled to generate momentum against a disciplined Hawthorn defence and was unable to capitalise on periods of territorial dominance after half-time.

Longmuir said the Dockers had generated enough opportunities to challenge the Hawks, but could not string together enough positive moments.

“We just couldn’t manage two in a row,” he said.

“We’d kick a goal and then they’d win the next centre bounce and then they’d end up having the next shot and we just couldn’t get any momentum.”

Fremantle outscored Hawthorn by a point in the second half and had more inside-50s, but repeatedly found its forward entries too predictable.

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Longmuir accepted the Dockers needed to show more daring, particularly early, but rejected the suggestion they were simply overwhelmed by Hawthorn’s defensive pressure.

“I don’t think it was one of those games where we were showing no dare and they were slicing us,” he said.

“They were able to speed up off a few contests, get goal side with their method, and they made the most of those looks, and we just couldn’t make the most of any of our looks going back the other way.”

Longmuir said the playing group had appeared in good spirits throughout the week and trained well, although the occasion provided an experience the Dockers could learn from.

“I thought we held our head pretty well,” Longmuir said.

“It was just that last play going inside 50 we were probably a little bit too predictable, made it a bit easy for them.

“But I thought their backs defended really well.”

Longmuir acknowledged the external scrutiny around Fremantle could intensify after the defeat but urged his players to block it out.

“There’s multiple ways you can get to where we want to get to,” he said.

“We’ve got another chance at home next week and then there’s still a path there.

“So, everything we’ve been working on across the course of the year, we’ve got to lean into that now.”