The Dockers are staring down the barrel of a straight-sets finals exit after the minor premiers suffered a shock 32-point loss to Hawthorn in last week’s qualifying final.

The Dockers will host Geelong in a semi-final at Optus Stadium on Friday night, with the winner to face the Swans in Sydney in a preliminary final.

The knots in the stomach will again be present for players and fans alike on Friday. But becoming immortals as the first Dockers to claim a premiership was never going to be easy.