FREMANTLE coach Justin Longmuir is not getting ahead of himself despite guiding his side to a memorable three-point win over Geelong that proved their credentials as a genuine premiership contender.
Blake Acres and Andrew Brayshaw starred as the Dockers belied the injury-enforced absences of Sean Darcy and Matt Taberner, along with giving up the first three goals of Saturday's game, to prevail 10.9 (69) to 10.6 (66) in one of the finest victories of Longmuir's tenure.
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Fremantle is now 6-1 and second behind reigning premiers Melbourne, despite skipper Nat Fyfe (back) not playing all season and Longmuir believed the start to the season showed they could compete with the league's best.
"I do (believe that) because we're playing a really strong, defensive, contested game and we're able to adapt in games," he said.
"But we haven't done anything as a footy club yet, or this year anyway.
"We've got plenty of work ahead of us and this game's got a real knack of pulling you into line if you get too far ahead of yourself."
Fremantle's fourth win in 19 attempts at Kardinia Park included keeping Geelong goalless from the 28-minute mark of the first quarter until the 20th minute of the third.
"I don't know where it (the win) stacks. As a coach, you don't really sit around rating them but it was a great win," Longmuir said.
"We came down here prepared for an arm wrestle and prepared to go the distance, because that's what you have to do down here.
"We fought and that's become a part of our brand is we just keep fighting and we were able to do that."
The Cats were without Patrick Dangerfield, who coach Chris Scott expected to return in round eight.
But they will sweat on the fitness of Max Holmes (ankle) was substituted for Luke Dahlhaus in the second quarter while Rhys Stanley (ankle) hobbled off late.
Scott was left to lament conservative ball movement and poor contest work in the second and third quarters, but said he'd seen enough to believe Geelong's best footy wasn't far off.
"No I don't think it is (out of reach) and I think we've shown patches where we've looked almost as good as the best teams," Scott said.
"Melbourne are the best team but there's a big pack chasing them.
"My sense is, and it's hard to forecast, but it was my sense pre-season, as well, that it's just going to be a struggle throughout the year.
"So the challenge is to not throw in the towel and let bad days snowball into consecutive bad days but also not get too high on your toes when you do have some good patches.
"We've just got to keep it level, keep fighting, keep working on our game and we have the belief that if we do get our game to a really high level and we get our guys playing as well as they can, we're a pretty good team."
Dangerfield told Geelong's president's function pre-game that if he ticked a couple of boxes on Monday he would return against GWS after two games out with a corked calf.
"Our overriding philosophy is to get guys in and play them when they're ready to perform really well and that was just not Pat today," Scott said.
"But the indications are that he'll play next week."
