Fremantle announced its return to the top four for the first time since round two with a 83-point smashing of Brisbane at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night.

The Dockers' 15.15 (105) to 3.4 (22) victory was their fifth straight, as their attack on this season's premiership gains momentum.

And it was done with key defenders Luke McPharlin and Michael Johnson sitting on the sidelines.

It was helped by five goals from the boot of Hayden Ballantyne, following the six he kicked against Richmond last week – and was also helped by one of the Lions' worst performances.

This was the biggest loss the Lions have suffered against the Dockers and the score is a low for Brisbane in games against Fremantle, beating the 5.5 (35) it managed in 2012 at the same venue.

Fremantle also extended its winning streak against Brisbane to six games, the Lions last enjoying victory against Fremantle in round 16 of the 2009 season.

Lions coach Justin Leppitsch would have expected a greater response after last week's humiliating 45-point loss to Greater Western Sydney.

But the Lions aren't going to win too many games with just 17 inside 50 entries (an AFL record low) while allowing Fremantle 71.

After being kept goalless in the final term of the loss to the Giants, Brisbane had to wait until almost six minutes into the third term to kick its first major against Fremantle. The game was well gone by then.

The Lions were even a tad lucky to score that goal as Josh Green appeared to be the only person on the ground who heard the umpire call “touched ball” after Zac Dawson thought he had taken a mark.

The Lions started so well.

Rohan Bewick had the first shot of the game, after three minutes – and while it fell short, the resultant rushed behind gave the Lions the lead.

Unfortunately it was the Lions' only score in the first half. They only went inside their attacking 50 area once more for the opening term and only five times in total to half-time.

The 0.1 score-line just beat Fitzroy's scoreless half against Footscray in a round five clash in 1953.

The Dockers kicked 9.3 from their 41 entries to half-time to lead by 56 points on a back of a dominant midfield.

Until half-time, only two Lions had more than 10 possessions - Tom Rockliff with 15 and Joel Patfull with 10.

Nine Dockers had more and combined their side had 105 uncontested touches (plus 102 contested), while Brisbane's players touched the ball a total of 112 times.

Lachie Neale, David Mundy, Paul Duffield, Nat Fyfe and Michael Barlow each had 15 touches or more at the main break and Barlow kicked the only two goals of the opening term.

The Dockers did go forward 17 times in that first term, but congestion made it difficult to score. For most of the quarter all 36 players on the ground were in Fremantle's forward line.

When they managed to open up their forward area in the second term, they kicked 7.1.

When a Brisbane player did get the ball in midfield, he rarely had anyone further up the ground to kick to.

Brisbane enjoyed a purple patch in the middle of the third term, kicking two consecutive goals – their first (Green) and second (Bewick). And it managed to get the margin back to 50 points after it had reached 62. The Lions did so mainly on the back of Rockliff, who held his head high with 42 touches, while Jack Redden laid 14 tackles.

But the Dockers booted six of the next seven goals.