We are predominantly a two-horse town; you’re either West Coast Eagles or you are Fremantle Dockers, and for the majority of the time that both teams have been in the AFL, West Coast has had all the bragging rights.
The obvious number West Coast supporters have held over Fremantle for the better part of three decades is not just one premiership, but four.
But for those following Fremantle’s season closely and their win on the weekend, Fremantle have now well and truly eclipsed every West Coast Eagles team there ever was, winning their 14th game in a row. West Coast’s best through all their premiership seasons is only 12, across the middle of 1991, back when the Dockers did not yet exist.
For a club whose supporters have spent 30 years being told they are the second team in their own state, it is now a streak record in the rivalry that belongs to Fremantle, and one they will continue to build on, and perhaps one West Coast will never beat.
Compared to all-time streaks
Can the Fremantle Dockers beat the all-time winning streak season record?
Their run now sits on the AFL’s all-time list for consecutive wins inside a single season. Essendon’s 20 in 2000 is the benchmark, followed by St Kilda and Melbourne on 19. Fremantle’s 14 is equal to the best single-season runs Carlton, Brisbane, and Geelong managed in their premiership eras. Bombers great Matthew Lloyd, who started that 2000 season 20-0, has said the Dockers have the list to chase the record down.
Their only loss this year came in round one, against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
Their remaining schedule for the AFL season will include eight more games, four of which will be at Optus Stadium. Get through a danger game against GWS in Canberra and a win against Sydney in round 18, and there is a very good chance Fremantle will go the rest of the season without a loss, leaving them with a 22-game win streak.
Remaining 2026 AFL schedule for Fremantle Dockers
- Round 17 — GWS Giants, Canberra (away)
- Round 18 — v Sydney Swans, Optus Stadium
- Round 19 — Port Adelaide v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval (away)
- Round 20 — v West Coast Eagles, Optus Stadium
- Round 21 — v Western Bulldogs, Optus Stadium
- Round 22 — Melbourne v Fremantle, MCG (away)
- Round 23 — v Adelaide Crows, Optus Stadium
- Round 24 — Carlton v Fremantle, Marvel Stadium (away)
Not just one player
The midfield does not lean on a single name. Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong, Hayden Young, Shai Bolton, and Luke Jackson can each take control of a game, which means a quiet day from one rarely costs them. The forward line has become one of the most dangerous in the league, with Josh Treacy, Patrick Voss, and Jye Amiss all in heavy scoring form across recent weeks.
Throw in Murphy Reid, who’s in All-Australian form and seems to be getting better each week. Jackson is the clearest sign of how far the group has climbed. Building a Brownlow Medal case while kicking goals and setting them up is the kind of weapon premiership sides tend to have. Justin Longmuir has the side two games clear on top with a 14-1 record, the only loss a round-one defeat to Geelong.
FLAGmantle or DYNmantle
While Fremantle are fast becoming flag favourites, they first need to win the premiership before we can start throwing around any dynasty wordplay. A streak is a regular-season achievement; it proves Fremantle are the best team right now, on form. It does not yet prove they are the best team in September, a question the Dockers have never answered.
If you asked any West Coast fan what their biggest streak was, they probably wouldn’t know. But I can guarantee you they can tell you all about the teams and flags in 1992, 1994, 2006, and 2018.
But perhaps this is the year Fremantle fans get to start building those core memories.
