Geelong mounted two amazing comebacks to finally overcome Fremantle by a single point in the Anzac Day AFL clash at Subiaco Oval.

Trailing the Dockers by 39 points in the second quarter and 25 points at the start of the last, the reigning premiers showed they could play hard as well as fast, maintaining their unbeaten 2008 record 13.11 (89) to 13.10 (88).

Even after being kept to three points in the third term, Mark Thompson's AFL pacesetters found the will to see off the Dockers' pressure and then raise it, cancelling out Matthew Pavlich's five goals.

And in a breathless finish, the Dockers' skipper - playing his 150th AFL game in a row - could have won a famous victory for his side, but hit the inside of a post with a set shot with 30 seconds left.

In a game befitting the occasion, outstanding efforts from a legion of Dockers, Aaron Sandilands chief among them, were not quite enough to edge out the rampant Cats with three goals each from Cameron Mooney and Steve Johnson keeping their challenge alive.

And rather than the usual suspects of Gary Ablett and Jimmy Bartell it was Joel Selwood with 14 final quarter possessions who helped drag his side over the line.

A brutal and brilliant first quarter from the Dockers, one of the best the have played since reaching the finals in 2006, saw Geelong worried off their style with intensity not seen by a home fan at Subiaco this season.

Pavlich's first within two minutes was a mere appetiser of the term to follow, with Sandilands' full weight felt by Ablett, and Bartel having the pleasure of Josh Carr's company.

Mooney's first in his 150th game broke the Cats drought, but their 17-point deficit at quarter time should have been more after Shaun McManus and Dean Solomon hit the post, and Pavlich sprayed wide of an open goal.

Solomon's towering second mark over Hunt increased the air of disbelief, with Jeff Farmer equalising Steve Johnson's great kick to give the Dockers a remarkable six-goal lead.

But late in the term one glaring Fremantle error gave Geelong a chink in the armour they ruthlessly devoured.

Daniel Gilmore's errant kick across halfback was pounced on by the Cats, with Cameron Ling finding Darren Milburn for the visitors' third - and nine mesmerising minutes later, they had five more.

With the momentum clearly in Geelong's favour, the main break stifled it completely - with the Dockers efforts to stifle Geelong were easily as good as their attacking forays.

But the points gap at the last change again seemed not to phase the Cats, who took just 12 minutes of the final term to find the four goals needed to bring them back into it.

Matthew Stokes first appeared to have sealed the comebacks - until Pavlich's fifth from Palmer's pass set up the breathless finale.

The skipper's strike off the woodwork brought the Dockers within a point - and one last thrust was repelled by Perth product Harry Taylor to seal a dramatic ninth win a row for Geelong.

Cats coach Thompson admitted his side had not deserved to win.

"We didn't deserve to win, but we end up going away with the four points - Fremantle were absolutely fantastic," Thompson said.

"They threw everything at us, we were a little bit off, and we had two fantastic quarters where the game opened up and we scored easy goals.

"We are very proud of the fact we got away with the points. There is a deep down belief they can do it and a will and desire to win the game - they like winning."

And an angry Dockers coach Mark Harvey said elements outside his side's performance - referring to an apparent timekeeping glitch late in the game - had contributed to the loss.

"There are areas of the game that I am angry about and so is the club," Harvey said.

"I will wait on the AFL response to that (timekeeping), because we were just outside our forward 50m.

"But the side had all the ingredients that you ask of a team ... and we were in control of the game for most of the night."

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