The maturing Western Bulldogs have extended their unbeaten start to the AFL season with a thrilling 17.12 (114) to 17.9 (111) win over Fremantle at Subiaco.
Maintaining their pursuit of Geelong and Hawthorn, Rodney Eade's men had a torrid battle with an upbeat Dockers, who led by three goals 12 minutes into the final term.
But led by a stunning late burst from Jason Akermanis, Adam Cooney kicked two fourth quarter goals and Scott Welsh the sealer to continue the Bulldogs' best start since 1946.
The Dockers hardly looked like a bottom four side for most of the day.
With the question before the bounce being which Fremantle side would emerge, the answer was the side which ran Geelong so close in round six.
Six first quarter goals represented their highest first term score of the season, although the Bulldogs matched their goal tally, with Akermanis's kick after the siren handing the Dogs' the slenderest of quarter time leads.
The former Lion started the second as he finished the first with a brilliant boundary line goal and the Bulldogs' conversion rate was no less impressive with seven goals coming from ten inside 50s.
With the Dogs' lead getting out to 13 with Will Minson's goal, Tarrant's impressive first half continued, with a second goal, nine touches in the term and the assist for Pavlich to reverse the quarter time advantage.
When both Dockers forwards kicking their third majors at the start of the third, Fremantle's lead edged out to 13 - until Steven Dodd's brainsnap handed the visitors a lifeline.
A spat with Lindsay Gilbee had given Fremantle a free kick and 50m, until Dodd's retaliatory push on the Bulldog handed the ball back, and a short pass gave Robert Murphy his third.
With the momentum shift came nerves from the Dockers, which were steadied by Rhys Palmer's workrate and Brett Peake's two goals on the run.
The three goal buffer at the last change could have been more if not for Tarrant's miss from 10 yards with seconds left, and he repeated the feat from a lot further out in the first minute of the fourth.
When Daniel Giansiracusa and then Akermanis goaled at the other end, the memories of wasted Docker leads against the Cats and Melbourne bubbled to the surface.
And despite Tarrant's fourth and Jeff Farmer's first, Akermanis was everywhere when it mattered - as was Cooney, whose two marks brought the visitors within range of just their second win in the last ten visits to Subiaco.
