The bottom-placed Saints stunned the AFL world on Saturday as they ended their 11-game losing streak and Freo's eight-game winning run.
The result was a hefty blow to Fremantle's top-two hopes and the Dockers will slip to fifth on the ladder if Port Adelaide beats Melbourne on Sunday.
Speaking on Channel 7's Game Day, Pavlich credited the Saints for their fanatical pressure and hard run, but lamented his side's dismal effort.
"The Saints were very good yesterday and we were far from our best," he said.
"The Saints' pressure around the ball, particularly in their forward half, to get the ball back off us and kick some very crucial goals was important.
"But it was the way they spread the ball. (They had 140) uncontested marks, a record for us this year, uncontested kicks as well.
"It's something we really have been good at the last few weeks but it was poor yesterday.
"It highlights that if you have complacency in your game at all it's the enemy of success, it's the enemy of progress.
"We talk about every game being an opportunity to improve … and we went a long way backwards.
"Obviously in some level in the week that level of complacency crept in.
"We take that on board as a leadership group and I'm sure as a coaching staff that if you are complacent in this game it finds you out so quickly."
Fremantle has next weekend off before facing Carlton at Patersons Stadium on a Thursday night to kick off round 19.
