Fremantle goalsneak Sam Switkowski has made a stunning return from injury, kicking three goals to lead the Dockers to a gutsy 13-point win over Hawthorn at Optus Stadium.

The Dockers trailed by 13 points at the final change of Saturday night’s match, but kicked four goals to nil in the last quarter to seal the 12.5 (77) to 9.10 (64) win in front of 49,460 fans.

The result returned Fremantle (11-6) to eighth on the ladder as one of five teams on 44 premiership points with just six weeks left in the season.

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Hawthorn (11-6) sit sixth after their four-match winning streak was snapped, with Geelong (11-6), Gold Coast (11-5, game in hand) and GWS (11-6) the others in the cluster.

Switkowski, in his first match back from a hamstring injury, not only was the leading goalscorer on the ground, but was also the most creative.

The 28-year-old finished with a match-high eight score involvements to go with 16 disposals, often shrugging off tackles or side-stepping opponents to set up attacking forays.

Hawthorn opted against a hard tag on Caleb Serong.

The star midfielder tallied just 11 disposals and a clearance against Sydney last week, but rebounded with 29 possessions and nine clearances on Saturday night.

Jordan Clark (31 disposals) also relished the greater freedom.

Former Docker Lloyd Meek tallied 46 hitouts and 11 disposals against Sean Darcy (26 hitouts) and Luke Jackson (31 hitouts) in an intriguing ruck battle.

Hawthorn antagonist Jack Ginnivan was booed throughout the match on the way to 27 disposals and one goal, while Karl Amon (30 disposals, 696m gained) was also influential for the Hawks.

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir had copped a barrage of criticism from North Melbourne legend David King in the wake of last week’s 11-point loss to Sydney.

King questioned whether Longmuir was the right man to lead Fremantle to a flag, and the Dockers coach hit back by saying King had never built a list, game plan or culture before.

Fremantle were looking wobbly at three-quarter time on Saturday night, but a Switkowski snap to begin the final quarter fired them into action.

Patrick Voss followed it up with a 48m set shot, Darcy nailed his own set shot, and when Josh Treacy converted one from 49m, it was “Wharfie Time’‘ for the bustling crowd.

Voss and Hawthorn captain James Sicily engaged in a fierce wrestle before the first bounce, setting the tone for the match.

The opening quarter was a pressure-filled affair, with clever snaps from Michael Frederick and Shai Bolton giving Fremantle a five-point edge at the first break.

Fremantle’s first contested mark of the match didn’t arrive until the 12-minute mark of the second quarter when Treacy soared above a pack to take a spectacular grab.

There was plenty of aggro as both sides went hard at the ball and man, but Hawthorn’s supremacy at ground level in attack proved crucial in a five-goals-to-three term.

Recently retired Fremantle forward Michael Walters did a lap of honour at half-time, revving up the home fans.

It also seemed to fire up his fellow goalsneaks Switkowski and Frederick, with the pair each scoring a major early in the third term to fire Fremantle to the lead.

With Jackson firing in the ruck for Fremantle, it seemed like the home side were ready to pile on some more goals.

But an opportunistic soccer goal from Hawthorn forward Connor Macdonald and a big mark in attack from sub Finn Maginness ensured the Hawks went to the final break with a handy 13-point advantage.

Basic skill errors hurt Fremantle badly in the third quarter, but they came out firing in the last to secure the vital victory.