Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has hailed his side’s maturity after they shook off some early woes in front of goal to overcome Geelong.

As half-time of their blockbuster clash with the another of the competition’s top sides in the Cats approached, the Dockers had only three majors to show for a game which had been played mostly on their own terms.

Among the worst offenders on a scoreboard which read 3.11 were key forwards Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss, who failed to capitalise on a succession of early chances.

While they struggled at one end of the ground, the Cats were clinical at the other, peeling off a blistering run of seven unanswered goals.

Longmuir conceded his side “didn’t get bang for buck” from their early ascendancy in their game but said he was proud of how they stuck at their task.

“It’s the same thing I’ve said all year, it’s a maturing group,” Longmuir said.

“They’re able to not get caught up in outcomes or disappointment around outcomes.

“I think the language around how we were playing and how we wanted it to look was really pleasing. Sometimes you get caught up in . . . that frustration, and it turns into us trying to chase the game.

“The players thought the method was okay and they knew it would turn if we just kept at it. They did and eventually it did turn.

“At half-time, on expected score, we should’ve been 25 points up and we were (nine) points down. I thought the process was right, I thought the plan was right, the players were executing it, all bar that last shot.”

Longmuir was also full of praise for his side’s on-ball unit, saying their improved second half also had a major say in the turnaround.

“It just felt like whoever was stronger in the contest just got better looks back the other way through the middle of the ground,” he said.

“That was probably the issue in the first half, especially the first quarter — we had first possession in centre bounce and would cough the ball up and, all of a sudden, they’d come out the front and put our backs under a lot of pressure.

“I thought we were pretty strong through there.”

Even as Caleb Serong returned to Fremantle’s midfield, Andrew Brayshaw maintained the strong patch of form he had produced in his fellow vice-captain’s absence, winning 35 disposals while still showing plenty of defensive intent in applying seven tackles.

Longmuir said he was delighted with how Brayshaw had been performing.

“I think as a mid, sometimes you can’t get away from the ball, and at the start of that third quarter, it just kept finding him, which is good reward for effort, because he’s done such a good job for us defensively,” he said.

“I thought some of his defensive moments all game were outstanding, and he got rewarded by getting the ball. I don’t think he necessarily prides his game on that, but it’s good to get some reward for effort. I thought he got that tonight.”