The contrasting fortunes of Perth's AFL sides are clear to see — Fremantle is all but assured of missing the eight for a fourth straight year, while West Coast's attention is firmly on a top four spot.

It will be the Eagles' fifth straight finals appearance, while Dockers fans have been swift to vent their frustrations on social media over the club's late season collapse on the back of a 47-point loss to the Western Bulldogs yesterday.

Fremantle's fade outs towards the back of the season are becoming a trend.

Last season, they recorded five losses of 50 points or more on their way to losing seven of their last nine matches.

In 2017, the Dockers lost six of their last seven games by an average of 52 points, including two 104-point defeats by Sydney and Richmond.

The season before, arguably the first year of the club's vaunted rebuild, Fremantle won just one of its last nine matches.

Leaving the 2016 season aside, the fade outs could be explained in part by the youth injected into the side.

But that will do little to placate long-suffering Dockers fans who are not shy in voicing their frustrations on social media.

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That sentiment is perhaps a little unfair considering Fremantle was within three goals of a premiership in 2013, but the mood is noted.

An unenviable finals record

Since their inception in 1995, no team has missed the finals more times than the Dockers.

Not including this season, Fremantle has missed out on September action 17 times, equal with Melbourne and Richmond.

Even Carlton has made more finals series, despite the salary cap scandal in the early 2000s.

In contrast, Sydney has missed just four finals series, while West Coast and Geelong have missed seven each, while claiming five premierships between them.

The Dockers were outplayed by the Western Bulldogs on the weekend. ( AAP: Julian Smith )

According to Fremantle's inaugural chief executive, David Hatt, there is only one way to ease the mounting pressure.

"To quieten things down, the club just desperately has to win, or play well enough so that the members are happy with the effort," he told the ABC ahead of the Dockers' one-point win over Sydney in Round 17.

"The members have now been listening to various people say, 'well, we're nearly at the end of the development stage'.

"The last four weeks have been very difficult, and I would imagine the noise level being received by the club is high."

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A little whack from Simmo

West Coast is hearing a different noise — one of affirmation from those who think they are on track to claim a second straight premiership.

"My head just can't go past the team that's been there and done it, and that's West Coast," Saint Kilda great Nathan Burke said on ABC Grandstand yesterday.

The Eagles comfortably beat North Melbourne by 49 points on the weekend to notch a fifth victory from six matches since the bye, but Andrew Gaff warned the side was still improving.

"I still think we're still a little way off [finding our best]," he told ABC Grandstand following Saturday's win.

Veteran Josh Kennedy (right) of the Eagles booted seven goals on the weekend. ( AAP: Richard Wainwright )

It was a win that included a return to form for spearhead Josh Kennedy, who booted seven majors and passed the 600 career goal mark, prompting a little whack from Adam Simpson.

"Did you write him off a couple of weeks ago?" he asked a reporter during his post match press conference.

"Not you? Someone did."

If the media prematurely retiring a champion of the game is the Eagles' biggest concern at the moment, things are going pretty well for the reigning premiers.

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