GEELONG has underlined its heavyweight status and left Fremantle's season in tatters with a stunning come-from-behind victory over a heartbroken Dockers outfit at Subiaco Oval last night.

The Cats, 39 points adrift approaching time-on of the second quarter and 25 points in arrears at three-quarter-time, rallied in spectacular fashion to eke out a one-point win.

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich had a chance to win the match, his set shot from just inside 50 metres at left half-forward striking the goal post, leaving the Dockers a solitary point shy with 33 seconds remaining.

Geelong received a break as the game counted down, a kick out on the full from Joel Selwood providing the Dockers with a final opportunity to snatch the win, but nine seconds were whittled from the clock before the ball was pumped back into Fremantle's forward line.

Geelong's Harry Taylor took a match-saving mark and was swamped by his teammates when the final siren sounded.

The Dockers, their 2008 campaign teetering at 1-4 entering last night, held sway for nearly the duration and seemingly on track to record a potential season-defining win before the Cats' experience and big-game prowess came to the fore.

Goals to Paul Chapman, Steve Johnson, Tom Hawkins, Cameron Mooney and Mathew Stokes in the final quarter helped seal the result, enabling Geelong to improve to 6-0 and illustrate yet again why it is so heavily fancied to repeat last year's premiership heroics.

Those goals pushed Geelong ahead by eight points in time-on of the last quarter before Pavlich's fifth goal trimmed the lead to two points.

Fremantle's defeat was compounded by Josh Carr being reported by umpire Hayden Kennedy for allegedly kneeing Gary Ablett in time-on of the second term and Antoni Grover being unable to take any part after half-time with a severely corked left thigh.

Most alarming for Carr and Fremantle is he can't escape suspension if found guilty because he has 87.5 demerit points hanging over his head, placing him in serious doubt for next Sunday afternoon's tussle with Melbourne at the MCG.

Steven Dodd was also battling a corked thigh late in the match and will be involved in a race against time to prove his fitness for next weekend.

Fremantle appeared poised to provide its season with the kiss of life it so desperately needed, thanks chiefly to outstanding performances from Aaron Sandilands (24 possessions and 42 hit-outs), Peter Bell (31 disposals), Pavlich (5.2), Scott Thornton and Ryan Crowley, who successfully negated Ablett.

But the Cats wouldn't be denied, with the input of Joel Corey (35 touches), Joel Selwood (26) and three goals to Johnson and Mooney telling.

Fremantle was under siege at half-time after Geelong had slammed on six unanswered goals in the final 10 minutes of the second term, a paralysing burst of football that trimmed the home team's bulky break of 39 points to only two points at the major break.

The Dockers responded in grand fashion during the third quarter, blanketing Geelong superbly while attacking relentlessly themselves, adding 4.2 to 0.2 for the term.

GEELONG 1.1 8.4 8.7 13.11 (89)
FREMANTLE 3.6 8.6 12.8 13.10 (88)

GOALS — Geelong:  S Johnson 3, Mooney 3, Chapman 2, Stokes, Ablett, Milburn, Wojcinski, Hawkins. Fremantle: Pavlich 5, Solomon 2, Crowley, Farmer, Ibbotson, Murphy, Palmer, Sandilands.

BEST — Geelong: Corey, Enright, Mooney, Chapman, Selwood, Milburn. Fremantle: Sandilands, Bell, Ibbotson, Pavlich, Crowley, Thornton.

INJURIES — Geelong: Harley (buttocks). Fremantle: Headland (knee) replaced in selected side by Thornton. Hayden (thigh), Grover (corked thigh), Dodd (corked thigh).

REPORT — Fremantle: Carr for allegedly kneeing Ablett (Geelong).

UMPIRES Farmer, Margetts, Kennedy.

CROWD 38,022 at Subiaco Oval.

THE UPSHOT More problems for Fremantle, which has won only one game from six rounds. Geelong may have been under pressure at certain points but just knows how to win.

HOT AND COLD Ah, the Dockers. Superheroes one minute, supervillains the next. In a typically Dockerish performance, Fremantle was superb in running away to a lead of 39 points, only to wobble to a two-point lead at half-time. Repeat in second half — brilliance followed by bust.

TALKING POINT Gary Ablett driven to distraction by Ryan Crowley, and the variety of holds the Docker employed to hamper him. If this was the National Rugby League, the holds would be called "the arm sling", "the Heimlich manoeuvre", and "the pincer".