Fremantle Dockers gearing up for back-to-back prime-time games in Adelaide after strong start to AFL season

Having made a strong start to their 2026 campaign, Fremantle are now gearing up for a pair of back-to-back prime-time games in Adelaide which may provide an early test of their premiership credentials. The Dockers faded after a strong start in their 10-point season-opening loss to Geelong but have atoned with comfortable wins over Melbourne and Richmond. A strong percentage of 143.9 built on the back of a 48-point victory over the Demons and Saturday’s 10-goal thumping of the Tigers has sent them up to third on the ladder, behind only the undefeated Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs. And Justin Longmuir’s side will now be put on the big stage with consecutive Friday night games in South Australia, with this week’s clash against last year’s minor premiers Adelaide preceding a blockbuster Gather Round fixture with Collingwood in the same timeslot. Despite the Dockers’ strong start to the year and the Crows dropping down to 12th after losses to Western Bulldogs and Geelong, the hosts currently figure as favourites for the game, being pegged at $1.77 head-to-head odds on TABtouch to Fremantle’s $2.06. Fremantle scored the fewest points of any top-eight side last year at an average of 86 per game, breaking the triple-digit barrier on only six occasions. But their new propensity to start fast, some quicker ball movement out of their back half and their in-form forward line — led by Josh Treacy, who defied Saturday’s wet conditions to slot four goals and haul in 12 marks in a dominant display — have them sitting as the league’s third-heaviest scorers the early stages of 2026. Meanwhile, Adelaide’s challenged attack has managed only 241 points across their first three games, ahead of only the competition’s bottom three sides Essendon, Carlton and Richmond. The Dockers’ prime-time status has been underlined by a specific request from SA Premier Peter Malinauskas for them to feature on the Friday night of Gather Round, which was revealed by chief executive Simon Garlick on The West Sport Show last month. “If you play good games of footy, you get opportunities,” Garlick said. “So Friday night of Gather Round is a big game. They open with Adelaide’s home fixture and close with Port Adelaide’s. The next biggest fixture is Friday night. And Peter Malinauskas told me himself that he wanted us to play on that night against the Pies. “That’s an indication that with important partners, whether they be broadcasters or governments who want to invest, if you’re playing good footy and a good brand of footy, you tend to get some opportunities.” The Dockers’ flight to Adelaide on Wednesday will be the first of four times they take on the three-hour trip within the span of 11 days, with coach Justin Longmuir confirming his team would return to Perth between their clashes with the Crows and Magpies. “We’ve got a seven-day break, so we’ll come back after the Adelaide game,” Longmuir said. After their return from Gather Round, Fremantle will again play consecutive games at Optus Stadium, with the first western derby of the year set for round six before a visit from an under-pressure Carlton in round seven.