Fremantle utility Corey Wagner says the Dockers won’t be slowing down ahead of this weekend’s Western Derby, as West Coast hopes to upset Fremantle’s finals hunt.

The Dockers come into this weekend as clear-cut favourites to claim their eighth Western Derby win in nine editions. 

Meanwhile, Fremantle anticipates their arch rivals, West Coast, who have won one game in 2025, will be looking to rock the boat during Saturday’s clash. 

But momentum stands with Fremantle, having just claimed two major wins against Collingwood and Hawthorn, as they look to solidify their place in the finals this year. 

Speaking to SportFM ahead of the Derby, Wagner says they are prepared to fight out the game and continue putting the foot down. 

“They’ll be coming out to try and stop our season, and we want to keep the ball rolling,” he said. 

“There’s no point in us taking our foot off the pedal. 

“We’ve got to be on from the start, and they’re going to come out and try and wind us up and get us going. 

“It’s another game, and we’re going to treat it exactly how we treated Collingwood last week, and scrap it out and get it done.” 

In the season’s context, the in-form Dockers’ win over Collingwood showed they could win anytime, anywhere.

It was a win that was ground out across the four quarters, and a result earned through maintaining composure and doing the little things right around the ground, especially in the dying minutes when the game was at stake. 

Reflecting on it, Wagner revealed coach Justin Longmuir was proud of the team. 

“It’s one of the best wins probably for the footy club, so he was really happy,” he said.

“To do what we did and the way we won and scrapped it out. It wasn’t pretty. 

“He said it after the game, ‘we scouted this, we knew that this was going to happen.’ 

“The fact that we didn’t get spooked by it all, the crowd and everything like that he was really proud to get this one done.”  

The competition for finals places has ramped up, with the Dockers putting themselves in good stead to make the eight, but with five rounds to go, anything could happen. 

Wagner has also said chatter surrounding the ‘bizarre’ ladder condition is out of mind for Fremantle. 

“We just want to keep winning because we know how tight it is, such a bizarre ladder,” he said. 

“Last year, we were in the top three or four and by the end, we were out of it because we lost the last couple. 

You can’t even worry about looking at that because that’s another thing that can play in your head and take you away from footy. 

“Keep winning it and it’ll just look after itself.”

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