Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir doesn't think the Dockers were getting ahead of themselves after resting captain and key defender Alex Pearce for Saturday's match against Melbourne at the MCG.
Pearce, who has battled injuries throughout his career, was absent from the Dockers side as they were downed by the Demons by four points in a thriller.
Longmuir said the Dockers would have rested their skipper even if they weren't sat in first place on the ladder.
"Everyone knows Pearcy's injury history," Longmuir said post-match.
"He has got some continuity in his game, he is 200cm and we thought we would manage him for travel. For an away trip before the back end of the season. We might have done that if we were fifth on the ladder, sixth on the ladder.
"I don't think today is down to getting comfortable or just dropping back a bit. We played a really good side who has been beaten once here and we were in front with (eight) minutes to go and didn't quite handle the last period of the game well enough.
"I thought we had some players down on form today, not at their best. So we will need them to get going a bit."
Fremantle's defence was uncharacteristically leaky against Melbourne, with the Dockers conceding 113 points and struggling to stop the Demons onslaught.
One moment in particular demonstrated Fremantle's poor defensive performance as Harrison Petty took a mark in the goal square late in the match to kick a decisive goal.
Longmuir said while Pearce would have aided the Dockers on this occasion, he needs his defenders to lift.
"Clearly (Pearce) would have helped," he said.
"Would have saved us a goal which probably wins us the game. We probably lacked a bit of leadership down there, we weren't able to turn the tide. I thought we were average behind the ball.
"Our back six, you mention the marks, the marks are one thing but I thought we were poor at ground level all day.
"They are a really good crumbing team and we refused to see through those crumbing plays. For Petty to take that mark in the goal square, pretty much uncontested late in the game, like you have got to get body on him in that moment and get that through (for a behind)."
