Fremantle midfielder Stephen Hill won his first Ross Glendinning Medal as the Dockers posted a seven-point AFL win over arch rivals West Coast at Patersons Stadium on Saturday.

The Dockers looked set for an easy victory after a five-goals-to-nil third quarter gave them a 24-point lead at the final change.

But the game was turned on its head when West Coast kicked four quick goals to snatch the lead midway through the last quarter.

With their top-two hopes on the line, Fremantle’s response was as swift as it was brutal.

Goals to Hill, Danyle Pearce and Hayden Ballantyne within the space of three minutes gave the Dockers vital breathing space, with Fremantle overcoming yet another surge from West Coast to secure the 13.10 (88) to 11.15 (81) win.

In a big blow to the Eagles, defender Mitch Brown may miss the rest of the season after injuring his right knee early in the third quarter.

Brown was taken off on a stretcher after his right knee twisted awkwardly as he crashed to the ground.

Hill tallied 32 disposals and three goals in a match-winning display, with his third-quarter display particularly crucial.

Nat Fyfe, Paul Duffield, Hayden Ballantyne and ruckman Aaron Sandilands were also superb, while the Eagles were well served by Mark LeCras, Matt Priddis and Eric Mackenzie.

Fremantle’s sixth-straight win lifted them back into fourth place, while the Eagles remain two wins adrift of eighth spot ahead of next week’s tough home clash with Sydney.

The Dockers’ undersized defence – missing key backmen Michael Johnson, Luke McPharlin and Alex Silvagni – was always going to present West Coast with its best chance to steal victory.

And the early signs were good when Jeremy McGovern, Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy all scored goals inside the opening 11 minutes.

West Coast led by five points at quarter time, but the second quarter became a scrap as both sides made elementary errors.

In Fremantle’s 19-point derby win back in round seven, West Coast kicked themselves out of the match with 1.8 in the second term.

And it was a case of deja vu in the rematch as the Eagles registered 1.7 in the second quarter.

Hill sliced and diced his way through West Coast’s midfield in the third quarter, tallying 11 possessions and a goal for the term.

The Eagles looked dead and buried entering the final quarter, but four straight goals injected life into the game – and their finals hopes.

However, Fremantle’s midfield woke from their brief slumber to secure the victory with a brutal onslaught.