A fast start won't win Fremantle their first AFL premiership, but a sluggish opening against the Brisbane Lions could be disastrous.
It's why goal-sneak Isaiah Dudley is urging his teammates to nail their preparation before the ball goes up at 2.30pm on Saturday.
The Dockers were dealt a harsh reminder of how crucial it is to get out of the blocks well when they managed just one goal to halftime in their qualifying final loss to Hawthorn.
"It's a mindset thing. We need to get our preparation right with what we do leading into the game and get locked in when we run out," Dudley told AAP.
"Maybe the Hawthorn game we tried to do too much. Everyone tried to be 'the man', but the last two weeks we came back to our selfless best.
"Our forward line worked sharing the ball around and we just came back to doing what we know works for us."
Few Fremantle fans have forgotten that Tendai Mzungu kicked their only goal in the first half of the 2013 premiership decider against Hawthorn.
It was a massive let-down for the Dockers on their only previous appearance on the biggest stage of all.
In 2026, Justin Longmuir's men have won a record-equalling eight games when trailing at three-quarter time.
It includes an extraordinary comeback from 28 points down late in the third term against Sydney in their preliminary final.
Dudley says their "no-fear" attitude speaks to the belief that they can win from almost anywhere if they play out the full 120 minutes.
But the battle-hardened Lions, aiming for a historic flag three-peat, might not be so easy to overrun at the MCG.
"They certainly don't want to give Brisbane a head-start," Dockers legend Shaun McManus told AAP.
"It was the qualifying final against Hawthorn, in particular, where they barely scored in the first half at all.
"They need to get off to a good start and score early. They don't have to be in front, but get a few goals on the board early.
"That will go a long way towards not only being competitive but getting over the top of Brisbane in the end."
