The Western Bulldogs left it to the second last game of the last round of the season, but they have locked in their spot in the 2020 finals.
The Bulldogs, who started their Sunday evening game in ninth spot, launched into the top eight with an eventually comfortable 30-point win over Fremantle in Cairns.
The Dogs will learn their opponent for the Elimination Final – which will be either West Coast or St Kilda - after Monday night’s game between Port Adelaide and Collingwood.
MATCH CENTRE | View all the team and player stats from the Bulldogs and Dockers clash.
They’ll be sweating on the availability of young spearhead Aaron Naughton, who was sent to hospital as a precaution with a facial injury, and Mitch Wallis, who left the field late in the game nursing his left arm.
The match was still in the balance midway through the last quarter, but the Bulldogs finally broke away from the determined Dockers with the last three goals of the contest.
Lachie Hunter and Tom Liberatore were superb for the Dogs for the entire four quarters. Hunter won a match-high 34 disposals, kicked a goal and had 601 metres gained, while Liberatore recorded an astonishing 41 pressure acts to go with 25 possessions, 12 score involvements, eight tackles and seven clearances.
Captain Marcus Bontempelli finished with a goal and 20 disposals, while Pat Lipinski was a bright light in his return to the senior side, kicking and goal and collecting 17 possessions.
The Bulldogs had 10 individual goalkickers, with Tim English kicking two for the second week in a row.
After an even start, the Dogs established some breathing space during the second quarter with a burst of three straight majors, taking a 12-point lead into half time.
The Dockers kicked the first goal of the third term to get to within six points, but it was to be their last six-pointer of the match.
Bailey Smith snapped truly restore the Bulldogs advantage by the final change, and Hunter broke the tense deadlock at the 10-minute mark of the last quarter with a strong mark and converted set shot.
Dogs fans could rest even easier when Caleb Daniel and Bontempelli put the icing on the cake with late goals to send them marching to back-to-back finals appearances.
MATCH DETAILS
FREMANTLE 2.2 5.4 6.5 6.8 (44)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.3 7.4 8.8 11.8 (74)
GOALS
Fremantle: Fyfe 2, Darcy, Schultz, Crowden, Hogan
Western Bulldogs: English 2, Wallis, Johannisen, Naughton, Bruce, Lipinski, B.Smith, Hunter, Daniel, Bontempelli
BEST
Fremantle: Fyfe, Serong, Ryan, Darcy, Cerra, Hogan
Western Bulldogs: Liberatore, Hunter, Bontempelli, English, Lipinski, Daniel
INJURIES
Fremantle: Taberner (quad) replaced in selected side by Colyer
Western Bulldogs: Naughton (head), Wallis (shoulder)
