Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has commended his side for rolling the sleeves up in the sloggy, wet conditions at People First Stadium on Saturday, as the Dockers pulled off an enormous away victory against the Suns to get their season back on track.

Following a spirited away win against GWS in Round 10, the Dockers repeated that effort against Gold Coast, who have made their home ground a fortress to be reckoned with in the last 12 months.

Leading by 20 at quarter-time, the Dockers were able to shake off a mini-surge from the Suns, who grabbed the lead in the third term, and with hard-nosed efforts in the final minutes of play, the Dockers held on for their seventh victory of the season.

Longmuir lauded Fremantle's ability to dig in when the going got tough, and praised stand-in skipper Andrew Brayshaw for winning a hard-ball and free kick deep into the final term, a moment that settled the game and led to a sealing Jye Amiss goal after a Shai Bolton chasedown tackle.

"Halfway through the third to the end of the game, we were tough, some huge moments, (where) players put their head in the hole," Longmuir said.

"Andy (Brayshaw) was one, he fought outnumbered at times.

"It was probably highlighted by the last goal we kicked. We don't want to kick the ball there, it slid off the side of Jacko's (Luke Jackson) foot and went to the open side.

"But no one complained, they just got on with it, (Shai) Bolton with his effort to get over and dispossess and pressure, and then Jye to get over to support and finish.

"It was typical of the intent we showed all day."

Brayshaw was collected high by Daniel Rioli's knees as he crouched for a loose ball that had been scrambled upon down the entire wing for nearly 30 seconds. With just 90 seconds of game time remaining, the effort by Brayshaw to dive at the loose ball and draw a free kick was welcome for an exhausted Fremantle outfit, allowing the game to slow down at a crucial time for the Dockers.

Longmuir said it was a moment that typified Brayshaw's toughness and commitment, especially as the replacement skipper while Alex Pearce was sidelined.

"It's Andy, he's totally committed to the team cause," Longmuir said.

"It doesn't surprise me that he had that sort of intent and commitment in that moment. He does it week in, week out.

"Our pleasing thing over the last four weeks is our leaders are really leading by example. And that was another example of that."

The Dockers now sit inside the top eight as they head into the bye next week, with games against North Melbourne, Essendon and St Kilda to follow their mid-season break, presenting a prime fixture to make a charge for September action.