Fremantle may have played their first game in Bunbury on Saturday, but their supporters at Hands Oval to witness the history-making clash could not help their focus from drifting nearly four months into the future.

The Dockers descended on the South West for a game against North Melbourne sitting at the top of the ladder on the back of a club-record 11-game winning streak.

And after a record-breaking belting of the Roos to consolidate their status as premiership favourites, fans spoken to by The West Australian are feeling bullish about their grand final prospects.

Prices of flights from Perth to Melbourne for late September have been jacked up by Virgin Australia throughout the Dockers’ blistering start to the season.

But the league’s official airline partner has promised additional capacity will be made available if Justin Longmuir’s side can get through to the big dance, and Qantas have already put on 18 additional flights from WA to Victoria around the time of the grand final.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, Bunbury couple Nicholas Farquhar and Elly-May McDonald said nothing would stand in their way for their mission to get to the MCG.

“I’ve been checking all the flights all the time. Sadly, they keep going up, but we’ll do it no matter what,” McDonald said.

“It was good to hear that they’re looking after the fans and wanting to get as many over there as they can.

“I’m the hesitant one. I’m just happy to book it regardless. We don’t want to miss out,” Farquhar added.

McDonald said she did not want to get too far ahead of herself, but she had a “good feeling” about her side’s September hopes.

“I think the team’s working really well together and they want to do it for the fans and themselves,” she said.

“It would’ve been good last year as well, with (Nat) Fyfe still in the team . . . but hopefully this year’s our year,” Farquhar said.

With daughters Harlow and Millie in tow, Wellard supporter Jack Butler said he was hoping to get to the grand final, but the high cost and low availability of flights had forced him to get creative.

“We’ve been doing some strategic planning and looking at a flight through Sydney, maybe,” Butler joked.

“We’ve been looking, like everyone else, it looks like.”

For 15-year-old Bunbury-based Dockers diehard Jesse Hamin, the mission to convince his parents to lock in a grand final trip may gather steam over the coming months.

“Me and Dad talked about booking tickets early, but we’ll see. I reckon we have to get over there,” he said.

“Everyone’s taking about it, and I’m hoping, but we’ll see how today goes and go from there.”

Dalyellup’s Ciara Master said she was “100 per cent” confident Fremantle would be in action in the grand final, but she was unsure if her and her family would be able to be there on the day.

“With the kids and everything now, I don’t know if that’s something we’ll be able to do, with the cost of everything,” Master said.

“It would be a dream at some point to be able to do it.”

The pandemonium of Fremantle fans only ascended to new heights in a carnival atmosphere at Hands Oval, where the Dockers cruised to their 12th-consecutive victory with a 124-point demolition of the Kangaroos.

After being challenged early, the AFL’s hottest side steamrolled their nominal hosts by kicking the game’s last 19 goals to cruise to a remarkable win in front of 13,331 fans for the game in the State’s largest regional city.

The result has ensured the Dockers will sit at least one game clear on top of the ladder for their bye next weekend, regardless of the result of second-placed Sydney’s clash with St Kilda on Sunday.