Fremantle are in seventh heaven after a come from behind victory over the Western Bulldogs sent them to the top of the ladder and again showed they know how to lift when it matters.

The Dockers didn’t play their best and looked in trouble several times but their ability to handle big moments again stood out as they won 17.12 (114) to 15.12 (102), their seventh straight.

Alex Pearce inspired his team with another courageous act, Hayden Young was epic with three goals, Shai Bolton was amazing, and Josh Treacy was imposing. Fremantle kicked seven goals in a row after seizing control late in the third term and then withstood an incredible comeback to win by 12 points.

The Dockers shoot to the top of the ladder, but could be displaced by Sydney if they beat Melbourne on Sunday.

This win was hard-earned, but that’s been a feature of the previous six wins, too. In cricketing terms, nobody asks how, they just ask how many? And the answer is seven wins from eight games.

It was ugly and ominous early when the Dogs walked through Fremantle’s tackling attempts and kicked a goal in the first 30 seconds. Arthur Jones broke two tackles, and both Marcus Bontempelli and Joel Freijah got through tackles too, which allowed Ed Richards to snap truly.

Then to make matters worse, Matthew Kennedy nailed Josh Treacy in a tackle and won a free kick for holding the ball. The message was clear. The Dogs were ready to play and the Dockers weren’t.

When Will Lewis got through a Brennan Cox tackle and kicked another, Freo had major issues. The Dogs were short in defence but played a loose man and the Dockers simply couldn’t win the ball back when it hit the ground.

Meanwhile, Aaron Naughton was running hot down the other end. Few people expected him to even play after a horrific fall last week but he had two goals at quarter time.

Bontempelli was on fire. He had 15 touches in the first quarter. That was the same amount as Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw and Hayden Young combined.

The Dockers conceded six goals in the first quarter and were lucky to only be 26 points down. Dockers coach Justin Longmuir was fuming.

Something had to change. The Dockers were way more spirited at the start of the second term and kicked two goals in three minutes to get the deficit back to 14 points.

But the Dogs kept challenging Fremantle when they got the ball on the outside with their constant handballing.

The Dockers looked in trouble when the home team again pulled 25 points clear but Fremantle sensed the importance of finishing the half strongly. Neil Erasmus kicked a steadier and then Murphy Reid kicked another right on the half-time siren, which meant they only trailed by 14 points.

The problem was that every time Fremantle did something impressive to start the third term, they followed up with something sloppy.

And the Dogs eventually made them pay when Ryley Sanders kicked the first goal of the third term after eight minutes.

Fremantle were making hard work of every chance they created but Switkowski’s class shone out after he took a strong mark and then nailed the set shot from the boundary line to register his third goal for the night.

Then Fremantle’s leaders stepped up. Alex Pearce put his body on the line by leaving his man and slamming into Matt Kennedy. It may have cost him his right shoulder but it saved a goal.

Clark produced some inspirational defensive efforts. Young kicked two goals, including a pearler from a centre clearance and the major that gave Fremantle the lead. And Treacy kicked another.

Big names. Big moments. Now the Dockers led by four points.

Fremantle’s backline was under intense pressure at the start of the final term and stood firm. So it was fitting that one of those defenders kicked the first goal of the term. Heath Chapman kicked just his third goal of his career, and it set the Dockers on their way.

The game looked after when Fremantle surged to a 27-point lead, but the Dogs refused to quit and kicked three quick goals. It was game on again.

But Fremantle handled the pressure, and Shai Bolton sealed victory to send the team to seventh heaven.

SCOREBOARD

FREMANTLE 2.1 7.4 12.7 17.12 (114)

WESTERN BULLDOGS 6.3 9.6 11.9 15.12 (102)

Goals – FREMANTLE: S Switkowski 3 J Treacy 3 H Young 3 L Jackson I Dudley N Erasmus M Reid M Frederick S Bolton A Brayshaw H Chapman. WESTERN BULLDOGS: A Naughton 2 R West 2 M Bontempelli 2 W Lewis 2 L McNeil 2 E Richards L Vandermeer R Sanders L Bramble.

Best – FREMANTLE: S Bolton H Young L Jackson M Reid J Treacy. WESTERN BULLDOGS: M Bontempelli B Dale E Richards R Sanders M Kennedy.

Injuries – WESTERN BULLDOGS: L Vandermeer (hamstring) FREMANTLE: J Treacy (eye)

Umpires: R O’Gorman N Toner A Gianfagna J Mollison. Crowd: 23,071 at Marvel Stadium