Fremantle have all but sewn up the minor premiership and won a club record 18 games in a home-and-away season after overcoming a Western Bulldogs team that totally overhauled their own game plan to produce a defensive slog.

The Dockers won 11.12 (78) to 5.11 (41) in front of 53,524 people at Optus Stadium. They are now guaranteed to finish top two and only an unfathomable disaster where they lose the three remaining games by big margins can cost top spot.

On a history-making night for the club, Fremantle kicked six unanswered goals from late in the third term to midway through the final quarter to break a defensive game apart.

The Bulldogs famously upset an unbeaten Essendon by flooding at Marvel Stadium on July 28 2000. They weren’t as radical against the Dockers on July 31 2026, but they were certainly different.

Coach Luke Beveridge loves a theme and he turned them into a soccer team. The Doggies well and truly parked the bus.

They started with a wingman on the defensive point of the centre square at ball ups and had seven backmen before the ruckmen had even touched the ball.

Then they just kept pushing players back.

At one point in he first term, Alex Pearce looked up and saw 11 Bulldogs inside Fremantle’s forward line. That left him bereft of any options.

Moments later, Jye Amiss took a brilliant contested mark but had 15 Bulldogs to contend with if he wanted to find a target inside 50.

If you’d told Dockers fans they’d have 15 inside 50s to just six in the first quarter, they’d have been extremely happy. But they had no space to work in.

It took nearly 23 minutes for the Dockers to score their first goal. Isaiah Dudley received a free kick for a high tackle on the boundary line, kicked the ball to the top of the goal square and Luke Jackson juggled the mark to give him a set shot. He nailed that chance.

But while the ball was living inside 50 for Fremantle, it also meant the Dogs had numbers to run the ball out or chip the footy around.

They finally kicked a goal of their own after 27 minutes and the Dockers led by only one point at quarter time despite having the bulk of the play.

Fremantle had to be patient because this was a vastly different type of game.

Jackson won the opening centre clearance of the second term but couldn’t find a target. Jordan Clark ran through the middle with two bounces but fumbled the footy. Then Pat Voss dropped a mark he normally would have taken.

When Sam Switkowski tackled Joel Freijah high, the Dogs had the chance to hit the front. He missed.

Fremantle have struggled with accuracy at times this season and this game needed players to seize their moments.

They had an ideal chance to have a set shot after Josh Treacy took a mark on the lead, but he missed. Now they had 1.4 and no genuine reward for effort.

But they clearly had a plan. They chipped the ball around and were happy to maintain possession waiting for an option to open up. Treacy had another chance and this time he converted.

Two goals from 20 inside 50s isn’t normal. But this game needed patience.

Fremantle had 22 uncontested marks in the first term. They had the same figure in only 11 minutes in the second quarter.

The biggest irony was the Bulldog was was running straight from the wing to the backline was the leading goalkicker midway through the quarter. Cooper Hynes kicked his second goal and the game again made no sense.

The Dogs not only gave Fremantle no space, they gave the crowd no energy.

Fremantle kicked consecutive goals midway through the quarter and it looked like they’d discovered the secret formula.

That was until the Dogs kicked two of their own and scores were level again at half-time.

What would the Dockers do now?

The game threatened to change in one key moment.

Rory Lobb’s pass to Ed Richards went over his head, Vandermeer them fumbled and Fremantle had space to run on turnover. They took the ball end to end and Treacy kicked the goal. That was deflating for the Dogs and lifted the home team.

The Dogs were making errors as Fremantle’s pressure mounted, but scoreboard pressure is all that matters and the Dockers couldn’t produce another quick goal. They led by only nine points as the clock ticked into time-on. It was tense. Even Murphy Reid missed a target.

But Reid’s magical mind became the difference. He kept the ball alive with a tap on the boundary, soccered the ball like he was playing in Ireland, and then watched in glee as Sam Davidson chipped the ball to Serong. Goal to Freo. They led by 14 points with one quarter to play.

Now the Dogs had a decision to make. They had to attack to win. But could they afford to change the plan that had them in the game?

Fremantle had early chances to start the final term. Umpires missed a free kick to Jackson inside 50. Treacy was denied a mark as well. But when the BIg Cohuna kicked accurately after seven minutes, Fremantle led by 19 points.

And that started party time as the Dockers dominated the rest of the game.