The prospect of purple reign turned to purple pain in the Dockers heartland on Saturday as the final gut-wrenching minutes were writ large on the faces of deflated fans.

There was a mass exodus from Fremantle following the heart-wrenching loss, with many in disbelief that their beloved team’s luck had turned so cruelly.

More than an hour after the final siren Ashley Carnell and Angus Lincoln were among the many still struggling to come to terms with how the game finished.

“Can’t believe that in the last, literally four minutes, so much could go wrong,” Mr Lincoln said.

“My mum and auntie will be at home crying,” Ms Carnell added.

Other forlorn fans, like Kate and Damien Marsie, wandered the streets, pondering where it all went wrong.

“I feel devastated, I absolutely thought they had it,” Ms Marsie said.

“I can’t believe they stole so many points in such a short period of time. I just can’t comprehend it.”

Mr Marsie was among those cursing Wharfie Time, that he said had done “more damage than good”.

“I guess there’s always next year,” he said.

Paul Lewis, 53, echoed the sentiment that Wharfie Time, the last-gasp use of “Hells Bells” to rouse the fans in a close game, had failed this time around.

“Brissy used Wharfie Time better than Freo,” he said.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

As fans picked themselves up and walked away arm in arm, many did their best to put on a brave face.

“I’m proud of how they played, super competitive. We will be back next year,” Felicity Clark, 53. said.

“We will learn from the Lions, they lost their first one (premiership) four years ago.

“Freo forever, always. Of course we’re still fans — they played an awesome game.”

Dockers devotee Dan Huxtable, 53, said it was a difficult loss, but added agony had become entrenched in long-term fans like him.

“It was a great game of footy, hard way to lose in the last four minutes, but you know, that’s finals footy,” he said.

“I think the next generation will take it harder than us . . . the original supporters like us are conditioned for pain.”

Whilst many of the predicted 40,000-strong crowd in and around Fremantle quickly departed, some dropped into the pubs along the Cappuccino Strip to have a condolence drink or two before heading home.

Danielle Desbury, 33, said she needed one after struggling to process the loss.

“I’m absolutely freaking devastated. I’m going to have to go home and cry,” Ms Desbury said.

“We’ve watched these boys give everything. I can’t believe we’ve lost.

“I’m f.....g heartbroken.”

For those who came along for the ride and jumped on the Freo bandwagon, the loss shouldn’t detract from the buzz that the Dockers’ run brought to town.

While not usually his sport, Matt Cartaton said he was swept up in the atmosphere of Freo’s footy fever.

“Honestly, this is not my sport, but I’m noticing the vibe. I felt the vibe. It was exciting,” he said.

“That was a great game to watch. It was such a close game, and at one point I really thought we were going to win it.

“There were 10 minutes left and everyone was staring at me like, ‘What the f... is going to happen?’”

For some the loss left them asking a series of what ifs?

Lachie Neale’s presence in the grand final remained hotly contested into the evening, with many saying he should not have been allowed to play.

Having overturned a ban on appeal on the eve of the grand final, Neale’s selection meant the Dockers were wronged from the start, according to James O’Reilly.

“It was a good game, very competitive — but at the end of the day you’ve got to ask yourself the question of ‘what is wrong with the AFL?’” he said.

“For him (Neale) to be allowed to stand there and give speeches and win that medal after the way he treated blokes when playing the game is unforgivable.

“We’ve been wronged from the beginning.”

The pain and anger from fans departing the city was a far cry from the jubilation just hours earlier.

Fremantle’s iconic Cappuccino Strip was already a sea of purple by 10am as dedicated supporters got in early to take over the city.

Some Dockers devotees camped out as early as 6am to secure front-row seats on the strip, with lines snaking around several blocks as punters scrambled to get a spot inside the overflowing pubs and cafes ahead of the game.

“It was worth it,” early-bird Adrian DeCarolis said before bounce down.

“I’m starting to feel nervous, but good, we can do it.”

From full face-paint transformations to custom capes, the local faithful pulled out every stop to show their support for the boys 3000km across the Nullarbor in Melbourne.

But it wasn’t enough.

Sixteen-year-old Ottilia Miller didn’t hold back with her game-day prep, painting her face purple and white.

“I started getting ready at 8.30 this morning,” she said.

“There’s like 10 layers of paint on my face. I have spray paint and glitter on my hair and body paint.

“I’ve scared a few people but it’s totally worth it.”

Fifteen-year-old Riley Chamberlain also turned heads, dressed in full face paint and a striking purple wig.

“I need them to win today, I love this club so much,” he said.

Long-time supporter Christopher Lake made his own statement, sporting an AC/DC shirt and cape as he joined the growing crowds.

“I’ve been a fan since they began,” he said. “They can 100 per cent do it, we believe in them, Freo believes in them.”

East Fremantle mum Amy Hill, spent the past week crafting custom Dockers gear for her kids, Story, 5, and Lumi, 3.

“The kids have got into the footy this year,” Ms Hill said.

“I made them purple capes this week. I’m not typically a footy girl, but I’m a Freo girl so we pulled out the purple.“

For Tanya and Simon Vulinovic, there was no second option for where to watch the historic clash.

“We’ve been supporting them since day dot,” Mr Vulinovic said.

“We met after a football game so we wouldn’t have got married if it wasn’t for Freo.

“You’ve got to be in the heart of Freo. I mean, being in Melbourne is one thing, but I think this will just be amazing if they win.”

The stakes could not have been higher for locals.

Indi Ruby, Elise Roscoe, and Scarlet Nicholas said “their lives depended” on Fremantle winning.

“We wouldn’t be here if we knew that Freo couldn’t win,” Ms Ruby said.

“Someone’s got to hold it down at Freo, you know, it’s f...ing wharfie time.”