Never let it be said that a derby is just another game.

Fremantle and West Coast have played out a pulsating western derby with the Dockers surging into third spot on the ladder with a 17.8 (110) to 11.9 (75) victory.

Caleb Serong was awesome and won the Glendinning-Allan Medal for his 32 disposals, 10 clearances and one goal.

Andrew Brayshaw was also brilliant all night.

But this was far more than a battle between a premiership contender and last season’s wooden spooner. This got personal.

West Coast set the scene with their selection on Thursday when they named veterans, including an injured Jeremy McGovern.

He didn’t play. But he didn’t have to. Just getting named made a statement. West Coast were going to have a fair dinkum crack.

But Fremantle showed enormous maturity by fighting back from 20 points down in the second term, dominating when it mattered and holding their nerve as fights broke out.

West Coast started brilliantly with five goals in the first term. Elliot Yeo and Harley Reid were in everything and the Eagles were applying pressure every time Fremantle got the ball.

The Eagles led by 13 points at quarter time and extended that to 20 points early in the second quarter after Jack Petruccelle capitalised on a bone-crunching tackle from Oscar Allen.

But Fremantle weren’t about to roll over and let West Coast dominate like they did earlier this year.

They took the game on with run. The Dockers repeatedly took the ball from one end of the field to the other and scored with inspirational play.

Josh Treacy produced a sensational contest as the clock ticked into time-on to set up a goal for Tom Emmett, and when the Dockers went coast-to-coast from a kick in just moments before the siren, Jaeger O’Meara made it a 13-point contest at half-time.

The Dockers’ first goal of the second half again came after taking the ball the length of the field.

The passage of play included contested marks to Treacy and Serong, along with plenty of high-risk footy to get the ball forward.

Sam Switkowski didn’t let his teammates down and kicked truly.

Fremantle kept building pressure and gave up a guilt-edged chance to put themselves in front when Nat Fyfe took advantage from a Jye Amiss free kick, only to realise he had no space to shoot.

Justin Longmuri was fuming and threw his phone in the box. That only added to the drama.

They made up for it with a goal to Treacy moments later, and the Dockers hit the lead for the first time since the opening minutes.

Fremantle kicked 5.5 to one behind for the third term, and when Reid gave away a free kick off the ball to Switkowski, he kicked the goal, and fights broke out everywhere.

Fremantle led by 21 points with one quarter to play, and it was just a matter of whether they could strike the next big blow.

They did more than that, piling on five goals to two for the term for a comprehensive win.