The late withdrawal of talented captain Matthew Pavlich has failed to curtail Fremantle's bright start to the pre-season, with the Dockers setting up a NAB Cup semi-final showdown against St Kilda following a thrilling four-point win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
Fremantle withdrew veterans Des Headland, Paul Hasleby and Pavlich shortly before the bounce, making their 1.12.13 (94) to 13.12 (90) victory all the more impressive against a Kangaroos side that produced a remarkable final-quarter comeback where they grabbed the lead in the dying stages and almost pinched the game.
North, who had been struggling to reproduce the sort of intensity that saw them down reigning premiers Geelong in the opening round, registered six consecutive scoring shots after the Dockers had earlier kicked the opening goal of the final term.
Goals from tall timber Drew Petrie, Todd Goldstein and David Hale had the home side trailing by just one point, and by the time Ed Lower snapped his second behind in the space of two and a half minutes, they held a two-point advantage with just 26 seconds on the clock.
However there was to be one final twist in the tale, with Fremantle racing the ball down to their forward line, where Ryan Murphy ran into the open goal after finding himself all alone, bringing an end to a pulsating and dramatic quarter-final.
It was more often than not the standard of football one would expect in February, but there was no doubting either side's effort.
The Dockers will be sweating over the extent of a knee injury sustained by veteran Antoni Grover, but otherwise it was a game with plenty of positives for Fremantle coach Mark Harvey, who faces a difficult job juggling his squad's short turnaround for Saturday night's clash against the Saints at the same venue.
The visitors led at every change and produced the sort of sustained forward-line pressure that has been sorely lacking in the past few seasons.
21-year-old Chris Mayne played the role of spearhead in the absence of Pavlich, and did it in impressive fashion, booting five goals.
VFL import Michael Barlow continued his possession-laden bid for senior contract, backing up his 29 touches against Melbourne with a game-high 27 disposals against the Kangaroos, and not too many of them were wasted.
Experienced Dockers duo Michael Johnson and Roger Hayden, who both missed the majority of last season due to injury, also made an impression.
For the Kangaroos, Sam Wright patrolled the backline with aplomb while Brent Harvey had plenty of the ball.
Neither side was able to grab the ascendency early on, but the visitors held an eight-point buffer at quarter time, thanks largely to a booming super goal from Garrick Ibbotson.
The Kangaroos booted the opening goal of the second quarter through Ben Warren, but as the home side threatened to grab the momentum, the Dockers fought back, with Hayden Ballantyne (who finished with 10 tackles) running amok in the forward line.
The third quarter provided three goals for each side and one of the highlights of the game when Tarrant brothers Chris and Robbie matched up in the Kangaroos forward line.
NORTH MELBOURNE: 2.2, 6.5, 9.8, 13.12 (90)
FREMANTLE: 1.1.7, 1.6.7, 1.9.11, 1.12.13 (94)
SUPER GOALS: NORTH MELBOURNE: Nil
FREMANTLE: Ibbotson
GOALS: NORTH MELBOURNE: Hale 3, Petrie 2, Adams, Anthony, Goldstein, Harding, Harvey, Lower, McIntosh, Warren
FREMANTLE: Mayne 5, Johnson 2, Murphy 2, Ballantyne, Fyfe, Grover
BEST: NORTH MELBOURNE:Wright, Harvey, Lower, Swallow, Anthony, Hale,
FREMANTLE: Barlow, Mayne, Ibbotson, Ballantyne, Johnson, Sandilands, Pearce
INJURIES: NORTH MELBOURNE:TBC
FREMANTLE: Grover (knee),
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Matthew Pavlich, Des Headland and Paul Hasleby were all late withdrawals for Fremantle