Carlton's hopes of pushing into the AFL's top eight suffered a setback as Fremantle shook off the Blues in the final term to win Saturday night's clash by 36 points.
Fremantle slipped into the top four midway through round 19 following their 17.14 (116) to 12.8 (80) win over Carlton in front of a crowd of 30,457 at Etihad Stadium.
The Dockers led by eight, nine and 10 points at each change but flexed their muscles in the final term as they outscored Carlton five goals to one.
Fremantle's record now stands at 13-and-a-half wins from 18 games, while the Blues have slipped to 9-9.
Small forwards Michael Walters (four goals) and Hayden Ballantyne (three goals) were match-winners for Fremantle while Walters' opponent Zach Tuohy kicked three goals for the Blues and Heath Scotland was busy across half-back.
Ballantyne provoked furious reactions from Carlton's defence, who ripped his jumper to shreds at one stage, while Ryan Crowley tagged Carlton skipper Marc Murphy out of the game with just 13 touches.
Nathan Fyfe, with 31 disposals and seven clearances, was a star for the Dockers.
Fremantle led by nine points at halftime, 7.5 (47) to 6.2 (38), after the Blues were forced to sub midfielder Andrew Carrazzo out early in the second term with a suspected leg injury.
The game's tempo went up a notch early in the third term when Tuohy kicked two fine goals on the run to put the Blues in front.
But the Dockers replied immediately with a devastating five-goal burst in 10 minutes to move 28 points clear.
Three late goals from the Blues, including one from Jeff Garlett after the siren, cut the margin to 10 points at three-quarter time after both sides scored five goals for the term.
Fremantle's defensive pressure all over the ground took its toll as Carlton conceded five goals in the final term, scoring a solitary major through Lachie Henderson on the siren.
Carlton play Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium next Saturday while Fremantle will host Greater Western Sydney at Patersons Stadium the following day.
A spokesman for Etihad Stadium said extra security staff were sent to the interchange area after a Fremantle team official complained about the behaviour of Carlton fans towards Ballantyne during the third quarter.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said he was happy with his side's four-quarter performance but wasn't dwelling on the Dockers' chances of finishing in the top two after round 23.
"It's not something I consider. I know anything's possible," he said.
"Unless someone can tell me they know who wins it, I probably think it's still open."
Carlton coach Mick Malthouse described the performances of Chris Yarran and small forward Eddie Betts as horrible.
"I'd be more concerned about Eddie at the moment. His consistency at the moment is well down," Malthouse said.
"But I'm not here to talk about Eddie Betts. And you said Chris Yarran. I can name 10 other players that had absolute stinkers tonight.
"But you only have that if your work-rate is not high, and your opposition hurts you with their workrate."
