The young Docker kicked four crucial goals to see his side fall over the line against a fierce and clearly more than capable Collingwood, by seven points at Domain Stadium on Thursday night.

His fourth goal came at the 20-minute mark of the final term to give his side an eight-point lead, the biggest the home side had enjoyed all night.

But again it was the class of Nat Fyfe and his young apprentice Lachie Neale – each with more than 30 possessions – that got the Dockers over the line.

At three quarter-time, the scores were level; but only because of a Walters goal with just six seconds left on the clock.

The clever Docker booted the game's first goal just 25 seconds after the first siren went. And his second came again with less than 10 seconds before the half-time bell to reduce the Magpies' lead to just two points.

Fremantle won possibly the most important arm wrestle of this AFL season. And with only a few minutes to go Jesse White made a meal of a very gettable chance to get the Pies back to within a kick – that's how close they got.

But if Dockers fans didn't realise that there is a long way to go in this season, they do now.

A plucky Magpies hardly slipped up in trying to pressure every Docker at every turn over four quarters. At one stage midway through the third term the Dockers handball count was almost the same as their kicks, because they just couldn't get foot to ball.

And after losing to Richmond at Domain Stadium a couple of outings ago, teams will now see Fremantle vulnerable at home. And after looking almost unbeatable in the first eight games of the season, that now does not appear to be the case. The Tigers, Adelaide, the bottom ranked Gold Coast and now the Pies have shown sides plenty of kinks in the Dockers armour.

Although the scoreboard showed a level game going into the final term and the possession count was with the home side, Collingwood appeared to hold the advantage. 

Travis Varcoe, in his 150th game, was leading the way with some ruthless tackling, as every Docker who picked up the ball had someone wearing black and white baring down on them.

Dane Swan and Scott Pendlbury were winning the clearances when the Pies were looking at their best.

And Collingwood is quick. Paul Seedsman and Jordan de Goey in particular made everyone on the ground look slow at times.

And the Dockers just seemed to be working too hard for their goals.

During the week, Lyon said the Dockers couldn't afford to rely on Fyfe to carry them to a premiership.

Well, without him, Fremantle would have lost their second game in three outings. When the Magpies kicked out to a 14-point lead in the first term, Fyfe bobbed up with a freak goal to get the margin back to three.

Again, in the second term, the Magpies kicked out to a 13-point lead and again it was Fyfe that took a spectacular mark and kicked the goal to give his side an unlikely lead.

Fyfe had Pie Jack Crisp following him for most of the night and he did a good job. But the champion Docker still managed to amass 24 touches to three-quarter-time.

Just before Fyfe kicked those two first-half goals, Stephen Hill had kicked one a couple of minutes earlier.

Despite the Dockers being the top-ranked clearance side in the competition, averaging nine more clearances per game than their opposition, Collingwood won seven of the first 10 clearances of the match and hence took the early lead.

The turnaround came from the stoppage of work on Neale. He won the clearances that led to both Hill and Fyfe's goals in the first term and earned a shot himself that he slaughtered.

He finished the game with a game high 14.

FREMANTLE 3.2  7.4  9.6  12.8 (80)  COLLINGWOOD 3.4  7.6  9.6  11.7 (73)

GOALS: Fremantle: M Walters 4 N Fyfe 2 S Hill 2 C Pearce H Ballantyne L Neale M Barlow. Collingwood: A Fasolo 2 J Elliott 2 J Blair J Crisp J de Goey P Seedsman S Pendlebury T Adams T Broomhead.

BEST: Fremantle: N Fyfe, L Neale, S Hill, G Ibbotson, M Walters, M Barlow. Collingwood: S Pendlebury, D Swan, T Adams, A Fasolo, T Varcoe, N Brown.

Umpires: Matt Stevic, Jeff Dalgleish, Shane McInerney.

Official Crowd: 37,145 at Domain Stadium.

Votes: 8 N Fyfe, 7 L Neale, 6 S Pendlebury, 6 S Hill, 5 D Swan.