Fremantle Dockers' plummet from finals contenders last month into perilous danger of another lowly finish is an alarming duplication of a decline that highlighted the past two seasons.

After barnstorming starts raising hopes of September activity for a first time in four years, the Dockers now confront stark reality of another closing two months in home-and-away engagements with diminishing scoring capacity and debilitating injury toll.

Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe and Hawthorn's Daniel Howe contest the ball in the round 17 clash in Launceston at the weekend. Credit:AAP

From sitting sixth with seven wins and five losses straight out of their bye late last month, the Dockers have copped four straight gut-wrenching defeats and tumbled to 13th.

Headlining the succession of losses was a humiliating 91-point thumping from bitter enemy West Coast in round 16 a week after dropping a home clash to lowly rated Carlton after Fremantle led by as much as five goals deep into the first term.