The Flagmantle dream is still alive for 2026 after ruckman Luke Jackson produced a Herculean display to lead Fremantle to a pulsating 14-point semi-final win over Geelong in Perth.
In front of 59,725 fans at Optus Stadium on Friday night, Fremantle skipped out to a 38-7 lead before Geelong hit the front in the third quarter on the back of a three-goal blitz from Oliver Henry.
Staring down the barrel of a straight-sets finals exit, Fremantle lifted when it mattered most, with Jackson the biggest hero of them all.
The man affectionately nicknamed "the Unicorn" kicked two late goals in the third quarter and set up another for Patrick Voss to give Fremantle back the lead.
In a pressure-filled final term, Geelong cut a 24-point deficit back to eight points with 75 seconds remaining.
But Wharfie Time - played for just the second time this year - sent the crowd into a frenzy, with Voss kicking his fourth goal from the ensuing centre clearance as Fremantle sealed the 18.12 (120) to 16.10 (106) victory.
The win set up a preliminary final against the Swans in Sydney next week.
Not only will Sydney be without suspended quintet Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice, but captain Callum Mills is also missing after suffering a season-ending knee injury in last week's win over Brisbane.
Henry kicked a career-high five goals for Geelong, while Shannon Neale chipped in with three.
Geelong had made eight preliminary finals in the past 10 seasons, but having to travel to Perth for this year's semi-final proved a bridge too far.
Bailey Smith racked up 29 disposals and 751m gained, while Patrick Dangerfield followed up his five-goal haul against Carlton with two majors and two goal assists.
Jackson (25 disposals, 35 hitouts, eight clearances, two goals) was a clear best-on-ground, while Voss's four goals were also crucial.
"I thought he played a really strong game," Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said of Jackson.
"I thought he got ascendancy in the ruck. Teams can have any type of plans for negating rucks around the ground.
"But when someone competes as hard as he does in the ruck and then follows up the way he does, you can't tag that. You can't tag that type of player."
Shai Bolton made up for his quiet display in last week's 32-point loss to Hawthorn with two goals from 26 disposals.
Fremantle had kicked a total of just two first-quarter goals in their previous four finals under coach Justin Longmuir.
But they blew that to bits with six goals in the opening term against the Cats, with their run-and-gun mindset proving irresistible.
Bolton got the party started with two goals in the opening two minutes, including a dodging and weaving effort from 52m out.
And by the time Mason Cox kicked truly after taking an uncontested mark 20m out from goal, Fremantle led 38-7 and Optus Stadium was rocking.
Dangerfield helped get Geelong back into the match in the second quarter, and an upset loomed when Henry kicked three goals in the third quarter to give Geelong an eight-point lead.
But the Cats' advantage vanished in the blink of an eye as Jackson went into overdrive for the final five minutes of the terrm.
Jackson kicked two goals and set up another to give Fremantle a 16-point edge heading into the final quarter, with the Dockers holding their nerve to secure the win.
"In some ways this game was symptomatic of our season," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.
"A lot of things went wrong. We found ourselves behind the eight ball at various times, but we found a way to hang in and give ourselves a chance.
"There are a lot of teams in history after a start like that who would’ve turned up their toes and been beaten badly.
"To hang in and give ourselves a chance late in the game, in some ways be a fraction unlucky at various times, I think is a credit to our players."
