Fremantle leader Lachie Neale says he expects his side to be more consistent and compete strongly throughout the 2018 season.

Freo may have fallen to finals-bound Essendon by 15-points on Sunday at Etihad Stadium, but showed the fight and determination that was absent in losses over the past fortnight.

Neale said he hopes Fremantle fans share his excitement about the potential of a young and developing list.

“It was really important that we did what we did today for the fans,” Neale said.

"We were competitive, while the previous two performances weren’t good enough.

“We expect that next year that we’ll compete for the whole season, so stick with us, we’ve got an exciting young list.” 

Essendon raced out of the blocks with the opening three goals. After trailing by 41 points in the third term, Fremantle fought back to bring the margin within eight points.

“We knew that they were going to come out pretty strong,” Neale said.

“They had a finals spot on the line. I think, to the boys’ credit, we held up pretty well after they got off to that fast start.”

Neale said Fremantle senior coach Ross Lyon told the group it was important to challenge a side heading to the finals.

“We had a meeting (post-game) and Ross just said that’s the expectation,” Neale said.

“They’re a team that’s going to play finals this year, so if we can build on what we’ve proven today and in previous matches, then we can compete next year. That will be really important for us.”

Neale paid tribute to defender Zac Dawson, who travelled with the side in what is likely to be his final season.

Dawson presented 100-gamer Cam Sutcliffe with his jumper pre-game and joined Lyon in the coaches' box for the game.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Zac, the way he’s carried himself since coming to the club has been first class,” Neale said.

“He’s a team-first guy and an absolute club man. I wish him all the best for the future."