Fremantle vice-captain Caleb Serong says his team need to trust their game plan more when faced with extreme pressure if they are to achieve their goal of snaring a top-four berth.
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The Dockers blew the chance to rise to second on the AFL ladder when they suffered a 13-point loss to Hawthorn in Launceston on Saturday.
The result dropped Fremantle (10-6-1) to fifth - only two points adrift of second but also only two points clear of ninth.
The ladder logjam means the race for top four and top eight berths is set to go down to the wire.
Fremantle have their sights firmly set on the top four, and their hopes will receive a stern test when they host eighth-placed Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
"That (top four) is our goal no doubt, we haven't been shy about saying that," Serong told reporters on Monday.
"But the way we get there is not by wishing, hoping and praying.
"It's by going out there and doing actions, and preparing each day like we have all year."
Serong believes his team made too many key mistakes against the Hawks.
He also feels they went away from their game plan under the intense pressure.
"The pressure was hot. It felt like a finals-like game," Serong said.
"The intensity - you saw a lot of mistakes.
"It was probably the most pressured game we've been involved in - both what we gave out and what we dealt with from Hawthorn.
"That can result sometimes in going away from the game style you want to play.
"We want to drive, use our numbers and take the game on.
"So it's about continuing to trust our game plan and trust what we want to do, and holding up in those key moments."
Fremantle will be boosted by the return of ruckman Sean Darcy (concussion) against the Demons, while captain Alex Pearce is expected to return from a fractured forearm.
Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn is pushing to return early from a fractured fibula, with a decision on his availability to be made later in the week.
Fremantle smashed Melbourne by 92 points in Alice Springs when the teams last met on June 2.
Sunday's re-match will mark Fremantle's 22nd annual Starlight Purple Haze game, which aims to raise funds to brighten the lives of seriously ill children.
Serong and Fremantle's other Starlight ambassadors visited Perth Children's Hospital on Monday to spread some cheer.
Australian Associated Press
