DESPITE starting the season with four straight losses, the Dockers are in a better spot than the Eagles heading into a massive round seven Derby on Sunday.
THE LADDER Where is your team sitting?
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir claimed his first win against lowly Adelaide in round five, before pulling off a 43-point swing to snatch an impressive victory over the in-form Saints last weekend and rise to 14th on the ladder.
West Coast sits 11th with one extra win (3-3), but its three victories have come against Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne – all of which sat in the bottom four on the ladder coming into round seven.
The Eagles have managed just one fourth-quarter win in 2020, and only sit just above Adelaide and Melbourne for total quarters won for the season with nine.
Adam Simpson's side were smashed to the tune of 44 points by Gold Coast and then by 30 to Brisbane in consecutive weeks.
Fremantle was at least competitive in its losses to the two Queensland teams, losing by a combined margin of 25 points across those games.
The Eagles are finding questions they have to ask themselves at the moment, while the Dockers are finding answers.
What's gone right?
Tim Kelly and Dom Sheed have kicked into gear as the Eagles have claimed the throne as the number one centre clearance side in the competition.
West Coast has also found a spread of goalkickers to take the load off Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy, with their 10 goals against the Crows last weekend coming from nine different players.
ROUNDS 7-8 Check out the full fixture
Fremantle's young midfield core of Andrew Brayshaw, Adam Cerra and Darcy Tucker have all stepped up after Longmuir questioned whether they could put in consistent four-quarter efforts.
The reliance on Nat Fyfe and Michael Walters has shifted a little thanks to that young trio, as well as the under-the-radar James Aish.
The Dockers are also finishing games strongly, winning the fourth quarter in three out of their six matches this year.
Who needs to fire?
The Eagles' scoring power is a little more balanced, but Darling and Kennedy have kicked seven goals each this year and are just barely going.
They might get their chance to feast on a Fremantle outfit that is missing Alex Pearce, Joel Hamling and Griffin Logue.
THE FULL INJURY LIST Who is racing the clock?
Fremantle will need to find some creativity coming out of the back half after losing Hayden Young to an ankle injury.
Nathan Wilson's 'metres gained' numbers have dropped from 510 metres per game in 2018 to 475 in 2019. In 2020, that figure has fallen further, to 292 metres per match.
Granted, the game time is shorter, but the Dockers would be hoping to see that rise significantly to help generate scores out of the back half.
