Final scores
That’s it for round one
Big weekend of footy! Some cracking games, surprise results and huge individual performances. Stick around ABC Sport through the week as we wrap it all up and look ahead to round two.
And to catch up on today’s action, hit up the key events and match report tabs on the blog here.
Thanks for your company, see you on Thursday night!
Match report: Fremantle 14.9 (93) def Brisbane 10.10 (70)
Fremantle’s 23-point AFL win over Brisbane has been marred by a spate of injuries as Brennan Cox, Karl Worner and Oscar McDonald all went down in worrying fashion.
The Lions kicked the opening four goals of Sunday’s match at Optus Stadium, but Fremantle piled on the next eight to secure the 14.9 (93) to 10.10 (70) win in front of 40,604 fans.
It continued a poor start to the season for last season’s grand finalists Brisbane, who coughed up a 46-point lead against Carlton a week earlier on the way to a one-point loss.
The result also means both grand finalists have gone 0-2 to start the season, with Collingwood losing to GWS and Sydney.
Brisbane subbed off Darcy Gardiner at half-time due to a knee injury, while Conor McKenna’s day was ended in the second half by a left hamstring issue.
But it was Fremantle who were hit the hardest on the injury front.
Jye Amiss (four goals) and Josh Treacy (three goals) were superb in attack for Fremantle, while Caleb Serong racked up a club-record 46 disposals to go with 10 clearances.
Eric Hipwood and Joe Daniher kicked three goals apiece for Brisbane.
AAP
Caleb Serong. Record breaker
His 46 disposals is comfortably the most by a Docker in a single game ever.
Key Event
FT: Ferocious Freo run all over Lions in 23-point win
After conceding four goals in about five minutes to start the game, that is a sensational turnaround from Fremantle who have opened their season with a statement win.
They were powerful, tough, quick. Absolutely ferocious at ball and man. They outmuscled the Lions, and eventually outplayed them as well. It will put the league on notice, as this young Dockers side looks primed to take the step up we were all expecting last year.
The Lions are now 0-2 after last year’s grand final loss, with yet more questions to answer. Brisbane just became a bit pedestrian through the second and third quarter and simply couldn’t compete with the Dockers in the contest and in the air. It’s not panic stations for the Lions at all, but it’s a sticky situation they now find themselves in.
The downside for Freo was the injuries. Karl Worner was knocked out (but reappeared on the bench in very promising signs), Oscar McDonald did a knee and Brennan Cox went down with a hamstring. We’ll wait to find out how bad they are through the week, but they have taken a little bit of the shine off the Dockers’ win.
Bailey walks out of the middle and kicks another
Junk time goals both ways now. Zac Bailey had the freedom of the centre square from the restart, and jogged his way to the top of the 50 to convert.
A quiet night on the whole for Bailey.
Luke Jackson has time to find one more for Freo
He’s been good tonight, Jackson. Strong in the ruck, strong around the ground and influential when he’s gone forward. Looks primed for a massive year.
One of a stack of highlights for Fremantle tonight.
Key Event
The highest ever attendance for an AFL round is confirmed
There you go, that’s a record. There have been 413,405 through the gates across the nine games in this round, and that is the biggest number we’ve ever seen.
Good to have the footy back.
Daniher kicks his fourth, Lions get another back
It’ll be too little, too late but Brisbane have at least pulled the margin back a little after the depleted Dockers began to tire.
A nice drop punt goal from Daniher, well found by hand by Bailey.
Two minutes left to play.
Daniher sneaks out the back for a run-in goal
Charlie Cameron took a strong contested grab against Bailey Banfield, and was kind enough to donate the goal to Joey Daniher in the goalsquare.
Still got 4:51 to play, Lions need to kick five goals. I guess? Maybe?
Caleb Serong watch
He’s cracked 40 touches now, a career high for this little jet.
Sadly I think the 50 dream is over, but we never say never.
Michael Frederick gets the party started! What a goal!
There’s no backflip from Freddy yet, but that is a goal that deserved one! He came streaming through off the wing and absolutely launched one through post-high from 55 metres out.
The Freo chant echoes around Perth Stadium, and it’s definitely the Dockers’ night now.
Jye Amiss has four, and the Dockers shut the door!
As the Lions miss their chances, Jye Amiss absolutely nails his. Nobody picked him up in the pocket, and Neil Erasmus was more than happy to dish it off to his incredibly accurate teammate.
Amiss has had six disposals tonight but kicked four goals. Proper full forward stuff.
Lions miss some chances to pull closer
Brisbane are piling the pressure on, but Lohmann and Hipwood have both now missed set shots they really should have nailed.
The Dockers are tiring, as you’d expect given the injuries. But the Lions aren’t making the most of it just yet, and time is running out. Ten minutes on the clock.
Key Event
Brennan Cox has done a hamstring, injury carnage for Freo
It looks a bad one too, and he’s no stranger to hamstring injuries. It happened as he stretched in a contest with Andrews, and Cox went down immediately holding that left leg.
He can’t put any weight on that leg, and is very slowly limping from the ground. He’s done for today, and potentially for a long spell.
Dockers down to just two fit bodies on the bench.
Lincoln McCarthy that is brilliant! Lions on the march!
Okay! Something might be cooking now!
The Lions win it out of the middle and then win a couple of contested balls at half-forward. Daniher delayed the handball to keep McCarthy on the run, but he had so much to do to finish the goal.
With Clark on his hammer, and while running away from the goals, he’s straightened up a drop punt that has split the middle and brought some life back to Brisbane.
Eric Hipwood kicks the first of the quarter for Brisbane
It’s a starting point.
Brisbane’s goals are coming from long-range bombs from their big left-footed forwards, but they’ll take them however they can get them. They need to keep playing with dare, kick the next couple, see if the pressure builds on Fremantle at all.
Connor McKenna has injured his hamstring
More bad news for Brisbane, as McKenna was going to become even more important after last week’s season-ending injury to Kiddy Coleman.
Let’s hope it’s not a bad hammy for the Irishman, but he’s out of action for the rest of this one at least.
Can the Lions offer a response?
They are too good a team to meekly fall to 0-2 like this. Expect something from Brisbane in this final quarter.
Key Event
3QT: The Dockers take full control and lead Brisbane by 38
If it weren’t for the injuries, we’d be looking at a dream season opener for Fremantle here. After a bizarrely poor first 10 minutes or so, the Dockers have hardly put a foot wrong and have left last year’s grand finallists completely helpless.
The complete commitment and energy of every Fremantle player has been something to behold, and I don’t think I’ve seen any other team match it so far this season (yes, I know, there’s been 13 games). That has then led to the confidence to use the ball, spread it quickly and move it aggressively the length of the ground. Then when you’ve got forwards playing as well as Amiss and Treacy, the game becomes easy.
For Brisbane, alarms are sounding everywhere. The fade out last week against Carlton was one thing, but they have fallen off a cliff since quarter time in this one. There is still a chance to find some respect from this last quarter, but one would think the margin is already beyond them.
