Outgoing Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy has conceded his 27-year reign at Windy Hill is now unlikely to end with a finals series, after Fremantle continued their late bid for September action with a 63-point victory at Subiaco Oval.

In a match billed as the duel between Sheedy the master and Mark Harvey the apprentice, the four-game caretaker was able to overcome the 632-game veteran 21.14 (140) to 11.11 (77).

And with the Bombers seeing a possible eighth place with a win become 13th position with the loss, Sheedy said he was now almost resigned to round 22 being his last in charge of Essendon.

"I doubt (we can make) it. Today might have made it very difficult," Sheedy said.

"We have to win our next three matches and then we have a tough game over here obviously with West Coast.

"But the way Carlton are playing and Richmond won on the weekend, all of a sudden we will be lucky to get two.

"If we can win 11 games and lose 11 ... and get to about 99 per cent or something, that is about the best even year we could have.

"We wanted to make the finals, and after winning three games last year we have won nine, so we have improved 200 per cent.

"But we have not gone far enough up the ladder because it is such a close, tight sort of season."

The Bombers' major highlight on the day was Matthew Lloyd's five goals, but they had few other individual winners.

As ever Matthew Pavlich was the Dockers' main weapon with six goals, 30 possessions and 16 marks, but he had plenty of wingmen - Jeff Farmer, Chris Tarrant and Peter Bell all kicking three each.

And with Paul Hasleby (35 possessions) and Daniel Gilmore (31 possession) laughing off talk of a derby hangover, Harvey's midfield foot soldiers clearly won the war against Sheedy's infantry.

"There are a lot of sides getting tired and I think we are going the other way," Harvey said.

"The competition at the moment, sides are falling victim to the challenge of getting in the eight. We are about to find out (if we are up to it).

"But we have given ourselves an outside chance - that is all we have done at this stage."

With Brisbane, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and Adelaide all losing above them, Fremantle now stand half a game out of the top eight, having been written off a month ago.

And with another virtual final against the Saints next Saturday, Harvey said attitude was as important as application.

"It is all about our attitude and how we handle a reasonable win like we had today," Harvey said.

Harvey described the efforts of skipper Pavlich - which took him within three goals of Jonathan Brown in the Coleman Medal race - as sensational.

"There were periods when he was quiet in the game and he was still able to do that ... he is really evolving in captaincy and leadership area and it is all selfless," Harvey said.

And Sheedy's assessment on Harvey's early foray into coaching was just as complimentary.

"It is early days and you would like to see more of him. But he has won three out of four, which is a pretty good effort because I lost five out of my first six," Sheedy said.

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