Fremantle’s 11-year wait to finish a weekend of football at the summit of the AFL ladder will extend for at least one more week after Sydney toppled Melbourne on Sunday.

But the red-hot Dockers remain within touching distance of claiming top spot at the end of a completed round for the first time since 2015 ahead of their blockbuster clash with Hawthorn on Thursday night.

Just as they had for the last three weeks, the Dockers came into the round sitting second, behind the Swans only on percentage.

And for the first time this season, they moved ahead of the Swans by notching their seventh straight victory on Friday night, beating a gallant Western Bulldogs by 12 points at Marvel Stadium.

But the move lasted barely 48 hours, with Sydney reclaiming top spot by holding off a late attempted comeback from the Demons to win by 17 points at the SCG.

The Dockers last sat atop the ladder at the end of a completed round in 2015, having claimed the minor premiership after sitting in first spot from round four until the final weekend of the home-and-away season.

Their seven-game winning streak now stands as the fourth-longest in club history and the most victories they have strung together since the start of their 2015 campaign, when they did not taste defeat until round 10.

West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson believes the Dockers have earned the right to be considered premiership contenders.

“Last year, they were just too young in my eyes, the maturity level wasn’t quite there, and expectations were a bit higher than perhaps I thought they should have been,” Simpson told SEN.

“But this year, I think the groundwork is done, I think the maturity level is there.

“The talent’s there, isn’t it? We can see every line is almost better than the opposition’s line, when they go head-to-head most weeks.

“And it’s down now to the last 10%, the intangibles, the spirit, the handling of big moments, the availability’s important, the coach and his messaging, they seem to have bought into what he’s selling.”

Nathan Brown became the latest expert to praise Fremantle’s midfield on Sunday, saying he was being reminded of three-time Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin by Andrew Brayshaw’s acceptance of a team-first role.

“At all stoppages at the moment, he’s trying to hold space, he’s trying to make sure he’s on somebody, but opening up space for (Shai) Bolton and for (Murphy) Reid,” the former Tiger said on the Sunday Footy Show.

“Caleb Serong’s been a little bit down, but to have those two players in there getting the ball so much more than they did last year, that’s on the back of Brayshaw playing a more selfless role.

“They’ve got three players through that midfield at the moment who are elite users by foot, who are elite decision-makers, and can change the game in an instant. They want for nothing, the Fremantle Dockers.”

Fremantle’s next test will come in the form of Hawthorn at Optus Stadium on Thursday night on the back of what will be their third consecutive six-day break.

The Dockers opted to make a swift exit from Melbourne only hours after their win over the Bulldogs in order to prioritise their recovery, taking a red-eye flight back to Perth and arriving back at around 3am.

The Hawks will enter the clash on the back of an enthralling draw with Collingwood at the MCG on Thursday night, with Dylan Moore’s after-the-siren goal salvaging two premiership points from a night where they managed only 13 goals from 28 scoring shots and 62 inside-50’s.

Hawthorn were riding a six-win streak — including a 17-point victory over the Swans in round two — ahead of their own coming into their clash with the Magpies, having bounced back from an Opening Round loss to Greater Western Sydney in fine style.