There’s been some pandemonic nights at Optus Stadium, but nothing that could match this. Fremantle is through to a preliminary final after a semi of the highest quality and the utmost tension. It was simultaneously free-wheeling and nerve-jangling – both high scoring and high pressure. It activated Wharfie Time for just the second time this year, but it wasn’t really needed. The noise was cacophonous, the tension excruciating and the result ultimately just.

Related: Fremantle beat Geelong by 14 points: AFL semi-final – live reaction

There was a period midway through the third term where it looked like Geelong might skip away with this game, just like they did against Carlton a week earlier, just as they have so many times in big games over the years. The spring-heeled Ollie Henry was marking everything, Dangerfield looked menacing, and their fleet of runners were finding space and carving the Dockers up. But if this Fremantle side is truly the one to re-write history, the time-on period in the third quarter will be one of the defining reference points. In particular, Luke Jackson and Andrew Brayshaw were pivotal in this period, blunting the Cats at centre square stoppages and surging the ball forward. They kicked four goals in seven minutes and from that point the game was on their terms.

Jackson was colossal all night, with his second, third and fourth efforts keeping the ball alive, and tilting this cutthroat final back Freo’s way. Whenever Geelong threatened, and whenever there was a 50-50 ball to be seized, he would intervene in that wild-eyed way of his. But as Chris Scott noted, he has a lot of craft and nous in his game too. He was ably supported by fellow big men Josh Treacy and Pat Voss, both of whom had stonkingly bad games last week. Nearly all of Treacy’s eight marks were taken under extreme pressure. This included a crucial moment late in the third term when he outpointed Tom Stewart, no mean feat, and thumped home a long set shot to give Fremantle the lead. But it was his defensive effortsthat were crucial. Along with Voss and Amiss, they couldn’t get any separation from their Hawthorn defenders last week, leading in clumps of three and four. But they were far more successful in giving the Cats backmen the slip.

It was a hot start, and a very different Fremantle to the tense and tentative side that turned up against Hawthorn. They flew the gates early, with Shai Bolton booting two in the opening 90 seconds. Bolton was exceptional all night, so light on his feet, so adept at slipping out of congestion and trouble. Crucially, several of their key forwards who were completely blanketed last week – Voss and Treacy in particular - were everywhere early. As always, Geelong’s backline pressed high, leaving them vulnerable to the quick ball out the back, which Fremantle exploited repeatedly. They smashed the Cats at centre square throw ups, waltzing out the front of stoppages. If not for some marginal free kicks deep in attack, they could have been a lot more than 25 points up at the first break.

All the metrics at half time suggested that the Dockers were in total control. But despite their domination of centre square stoppages, despite having 16 more entries and despite the fact that the ball pretty much lived in their forward half, they just couldn’t shake the Cats. Every Geelong goal was carefully crafted or outrageously hustled. Every Geelong goal came when the game seemed to be slipping away from them. The margin rarely strayed far from the three-goal mark – enough to give Geelong hope, and enough to keep the home supporters on one butt cheek.

Geelong lost no admirers but they could never quite put the home side away. Yes, Ollie Dempsey’s kung-fu goal should have been awarded, yet another example of the magnificence of the AFL’s technology. But they were well beaten in the ruck, in centre square stoppages and whenever the ball was in the air in Freo’s forward line. The game was symptomatic of their season, Chris Scott said, with a lot that went wrong and a lot to be proud of.

After all the doleful lamentations this time last week, the Dockers would fancy their chances to go on a run now. They took down an exceptionally well-drilled team, and now square off against a still willing, still talented, but truncated Sydney side. Now they can leave the fishbowl, breathe a huge sigh of relief and chase history.