Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich remains confident the Dockers can still reach this year’s AFL finals despite a worrying form slump that has left the club’s fans disillusioned with the game plan of coach Ross Lyon.

Lyon’s defensive tactics have proven unpopular amongst the club’s fans, while some of the AFL’s most respected figures have also voiced their displeasure.

AFL great Kevin Bartlett labelled the Dockers “unwatchable” following their 48-point loss to West Coast, while Robert Walls and Mark Ricciuto also criticised the club.

Back-to-back thumpings at the hands of Hawthorn and West Coast have left the Dockers precariously placed at 5-4.

And times could get even tougher for Fremantle, who face Adelaide in Perth on Saturday before taking on Richmond (MCG), Essendon (home) and Collingwood (MCG) over the next month.

Pavlich used his Twitter account in an attempt to quell the growing angst from fans, quoting Winston Churchill in saying: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it’s the courage to continue that counts.”

And the skipper is optimistic a few on-field tweaks over the remainder of the season will yield great benefits.

“Absolutely our aim is to make the top eight and continue to grow the game plan and the way we play, and I’m confident we can do that,” Pavlich said after conducting a clinic at Cottesloe Primary School on Wednesday.

“Clearly we’ve got a long way to go, but at 5-4 we’re pretty confident that our best gives us a great opportunity to continue on the path that we’re on.

“One week or one and a half poor games of football doesn’t make a season.”

Pavlich said Fremantle fans were smart enough to realise Lyon’s defensive game plan was a work in progress with the player group.

“We’re not going to be perfect and we still have to really understand how Ross would like us to play,” Pavlich said.

“We’re getting there. At times we’ve played to that. But our fans are a bit smarter than people give them credit for. They understand it’s going to take a little bit of time.”