FREMANTLE 2.3 5.8 11.9 12.14 (86)
PORT ADELAIDE 3.3 4.6 9.12 9.15 (69)
Goals - Fremantle: Pavlich 4, Barlow 2, Mayne, Ballantyne, Weller, Taberner, Hill, Smith. Port Adelaide: Wingard 3, Impey 2, Westhoff 2, B Ebert, Dixon.
Best - Fremantle: Barlow, Neale, Crozier, Mundy, Spurr, Pavlich. Port Adelaide: B Ebert, Trengove, Wines, Pittard, Wingard, Impey
Umpires Mollison, McInerney, Margetts, Hosking.
Crowd 32,448, at Domain Stadium.
Fremantle's 17-point win over Port Adelaide at Domain Stadium on Saturday may have closed the door on this season's top eight.
The Dockers third consecutive victory has left the Power two wins and percentage from the eighth-placed Adelaide, with a lot of work to do to make up the ground.
Ross Lyon said his side would still have an impact this year.
That immediate impact came on the back of performances from two veterans and a young star this week.
Lachie Neale, the young star that the club still hasn't signed up beyond this season, continues his outstanding run of form. He had 38 touches and nine clearances and while Fremantle continues to say it is confident of him staying, a signature would bring a massive sigh of relief.
Former skipper Matthew Pavlich, who missed last week's win against the Brisbane Lions, stood up and kicked four goals, while Michael Barlow has returned after being dropped to the WAFL a month ago to become one of the Dockers most important players during this tough period.
The Dockers new run-with player, has claimed the scalps of Essendon's David Zaharakis and the Brisbane Lions Daniel Rich in the past two weeks. In both games he managed to get plenty of the ball himself also.
On Saturday, Barlow added Power star Robbie Gray to his list of victims, while collecting a career-high 43 touches for himself.
Gray finished with 18 possessions after being virtually unsighted in the opening half.
He wasn't Robinson Crusoe though. Justin Westhoff had just one possession in the same period, while Port skipper Travis Boak had only six.
It was amazing that Port was still in the game at half-time. The discrepancy in the game statistics was amazing.
Fremantle had 81 more possessions (220-139) and 20 more contested (76-56). The Dockers even had more tackles.
The home side was hungrier for the ball, even though it was the visitors whose season was on the line.
The Dockers couldn't make the most of their chances, but it didn't come back to bite them like it did earlier in the season.
In the second term, Fremantle went forward 17 times for a score of just 3.5. Port had only nine journeys into their attack, for 1.3 the goal coming 25 minutes into the term off the boot of Chad Wingard, in his 100th game.
Things got better for the Power after the main break, but they were far from their best.
But even when Wingard ran into goal at the 22-minute mark of the third term to put his side seven points in front, Port had momentum and looked capable of running away with a win.
Missed shots by key forward hurt them though and that goal was the last one Power scored.
The finals wont be lacking anything by neither of these sides taking part in it through.
The standard that was set to kick off round 13 at Etihad Stadium on Friday night was significantly higher than what was on display in Perth on Saturday afternoon.
If the Power's season isn't completely done, it is likely to be not long after the break, if they don't find another gear.
They will play both of those sides that played on Friday, Hawthorn and North Melbourne (and Richmond), within three weeks of returning from the week off.
They will gain some potency though, with Jay Schulz set to return.
Schultz has been missing since round one because of a back injury, but made a solid return in the SANFL on Saturday. He booted two goals and took seven marks for Port Adelaide in a 43-point loss to South Adelaide.
He'll be a handy inclusion into a forward line that struggled against the Dockers.
They will also be without youngster Dougal Howard though who appeared to sustain an ACL injury late in the third term.
Votes
9 M Barlow
9 L Neale
8 H Crozier
7 D Mundy
7 L Spurr