The pressure on Gold Coast is set to go into overdrive after the Suns produced a horror show on the way to a 51-point loss to Fremantle at Optus Stadium.
Murphy Reid (28 disposals) produced a midfield masterclass and Michael Frederick kicked an equal career-high four goals as Fremantle notched their 14th win on the trot with an 11.14 (80) to 3.11 (29) triumph in front of 50,602 fans.
The win catapulted Fremantle (14-1) two wins clear of second-placed Sydney and three-and-a-half ahead of third-placed Hawthorn, with a top-two finish well and truly theirs for the taking.
Gold Coast (7-8) started the year as one of the premiership favourites, but are now on a five-match losing run and face a huge battle to turn their season around.
The Suns only had two majors to their name against Fremantle until Jed Walter ran into an open goal in the dying minutes of the match.
Some of Gold Coast's errors were so bad it left coach Damien Hardwick with his hands on his head in frustration in the box.
Although Gold Coast won the clearance battle 36-24, they failed to capitalise due to horrendous decision-making and poor skill execution.
"A great coach of mine, Denis Pagan, used to say if confidence was as easy as walking down the street and buying a bottle of it, everyone would be doing it." Hardwick said after the match.
"So my job as a coach is to sit there and get the players to understand why and how we lost, but more importantly, what we are capable of doing when we play our best.
"Tonight we just reverted back to the middling side that we probably sit at the moment, so we've got some work to do."
"Look at the smile." 💜
— AFL (@AFL) June 28, 2026
The Dockers get around Sean Darcy in his return.#AFLFreoSuns pic.twitter.com/PPGy8sOWFS
Suns midfielder Noah Anderson (32 disposals, eight clearances) battled hard, but fellow star Christian Petracca (17 disposals, five clearances) was quiet while spending large periods in attack.
Forward Bailey Humphrey (no score from six disposals) endured another lean outing, while out-of-contract spearhead Ben King was restricted to 1.2 from seven disposals.
Fremantle had winners all over the field, with Reid's class with the ball the highlight.
"He was outstanding," Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said.
"He just works his backside off both ways. And then he's got so much time and composure to make good decisions when he's got the ball in hand."
Damien Hardwick could hardly believe what he was seeing 😂#AFLFreoSuns pic.twitter.com/5ZzdmJTLNj
— AFL (@AFL) June 28, 2026
In another boost, Dockers ruckman Sean Darcy made a welcome return, tallying six disposals, 20 hit-outs and one goal in his first AFL match since round five.
The Suns beat Fremantle by one point in last year's elimination final in Perth, and the Dockers came out like a team possessed early in Sunday's rematch.
Their intense pressure proved too much for the Suns, with Frederick cashing in with three quick goals, and Luke Jackson adding another from a contested mark to give Fremantle a 28-2 edge at quarter-time.
King kicked the only goal of the second term to bring the margin back to 20 points.
But Jackson broke the game open early in the third quarter, nailing his 50m set shot before delivering an assist to Patrick Voss for another.
When Frederick bobbed up for his fourth goal, the margin was 40 points and it was game over.
