Optimistic Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge believes there is still time for his young side to bounce back from their disappointing loss to St Kilda and push for finals.
The Bulldogs succumbed to their ninth defeat of the season when they fell to a 27-point loss to the Saints.
Beveridge's side are likely to have to win at least four of their remaining five matches to have any chance of featuring in September and that task doesn't appear easy looking at the run home.
The Dogs take on the Dockers at Marvel Stadium next round, before finishing the season with matches against top-eight sides Brisbane (away), Essendon, GWS (away) and Adelaide.
But Beveridge is not losing hope and thinks a finals berth is still achievable.
"It (tonight) is a missed opportunity to be a step closer to the eight, but we are still in the hunt," Beveridge said.
"We have still got five (matches) to go.
"We have beaten some good teams and some teams around us have got us, so we will give ourselves a chance again this week (against Fremantle)."
That clash against the Dockers looms as a must win for the Bulldogs, who sit in 12th place on the ladder following their loss to the Saints.
Beveridge was bitterly disappointed with his side's intensity early and believes his side has some issues they must address if they want to improve as a team.
"People will look back at the season and look at teams we beat and teams we didn't and people might scratch their heads," he said.
"The athletic profile of the teams that go out there are pretty similar, and it is a mindset aspect that you have to be right on song with every week.
"We went out there to surprise them with our intensity and our vigour and it wasn’t us, it was them that got us."
Beveridge said there were no lingering fitness issues surrounding Marcus Bontempelli and that the superstar midfielder had an off night when held to just 19 disposals by St Kilda stopper Jack Steele.
Key forward Josh Schache was concussed in a marking contest late in third term and will be monitored ahead of next week's match.
