FREMANTLE coach Justin Longmuir has lauded his team's maturity and mental strength after a "special" finals comeback against the Western Bulldogs that has the Dockers believing this September.
And a semi-final date with Collingwood at the MCG will hold no fears for the young team, according to the coach, after an excellent year on the road that has netted seven wins and a draw.
Ambushed by the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, the Dockers were forced to claw back a 41-point deficit early in the second quarter before hitting the lead in the final term and winning by 13 points.
DOCKERS v BULLDOGS Full match coverage and stats
Longmuir said it was a win that could generate more belief for the team this finals series, which will now take place exclusively on the road.
"It's pretty special. To do what we did tonight, it takes a lot of belief, it takes maturity and it takes a fair bit of guts really," Longmuir said after the club's first final in seven years.
"We've been working on our mental skills for three years since I got here, and it's for moments like this where you feel like you're done but you stick to the task and you try to claw your way back into it.
"I'm so proud of the players. You don't come back from 41 points down without belief already there, so they've got a lot of belief in our footy."
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The Dockers head to the MCG next Saturday night for their first ever finals clash against Collingwood and their fourth at the Grand Final venue, knowing they have a strong road record this season.
They beat Melbourne by 38 points in round 11 in their only clash at the ground this year and have only lost two games on the road in 2022, also drawing with Richmond in round 19.
"We've won seven games, had a draw on the road. We feel like we're a good travelling team and it’s going to be a big challenge and one were ready for," Longmuir said.
"We won our only game at the MCG this year, so our players should go in with a lot of confidence.
"We've got 23 players with finals experience now, so we should be able to handle it. It's going to be a different challenge."
Longmuir said young forward Jye Amiss, who booted two clutch goals, had produced a strong second game and done his job after earning a call-up ahead of key forward Matt Taberner.
Taberner will play in the WAFL on Sunday after battling a calf injury since round 21, but appears unlikely to replace the young sharpshooter, who recovered from an early miss.
"He's got a lot of belief in his goalkicking, so he wouldn't have been dented by the first shot at all," the coach said of Amiss.
"'Tabs' has got to play tomorrow in the WAFL and we'll see how he goes. Jye's performance was great and we probably couldn’t have asked for much more out of him.
"I won't touch on selection now, but Jye played well, so I'm not sure if his spot is up for grabs."
Longmuir put the Dockers' poor start down to not handling the contest, fumbling and inviting the Bulldogs' pressure with their ball-use.
He praised young midfield stars Caleb Serong (33 disposals and 10 clearances) and Andrew Brayshaw (32 and six inside 50s) for standing up in their first finals and leading the fightback.
"For Caleb and Andy to do what they did tonight is a reflection of how hard they work on their craft and their fitness and how determined they are as footballers to be their best selves," the coach said.
"To have games like they did on the big stage is credit to their work ethics.
"I thought all our small forwards were desperate, and that’s probably what got us back into the game. I thought 'Sonny' (Walters) was desperate all night and he hit the scoreboard."
"'Freddie' (Michael Frederick) was the same, and so was 'Switta' (Sam Switkowski) and Lachie Schultz. They were all desperate."
