It was an impressive four-quarter effort by the rising Fremantle, as they continued their bright start to the season with a convincing 54-point win over the struggling Western Bulldogs.
Dockers' captain Nat Fyfe was at his dominant best, thrilling the packed crowd at Optus Stadium with 43 disposals as he led his team superbly all night.
Live-wire Michael Walters was also at his electric best, opening the game up with five goals and 18 disposals.
With both sides sporting young teams, it would be a scrappy start in Perth as the two teams struggled to adapt to the wet conditions.
In search of a breakout year, key forward Matt Taberner would get proceedings underway through a big mark and conversion close to goal.
His fast start would be cut short however, with a foot injury in the first quarter ruling him out for the remainder of the night.
The fall of Taberner would be met with a quick response from the Bulldogs however, as the returning Tom Boyd was given a free kick outside 50 and put through the goal, with his teammates quick to recognise his struggles in getting back to AFL level.
With the Bulldogs fired up after the Boyd goal, it seemed as if it was turning into a classic see-sawing contest.
But costly skill errors would see the Dogs quickly drop their heads as the young stars of Fremantle began to spring to life.
A Michael Walters double would give Fremantle a crucial lead midway through the term as they began to gain ascendancy around the contest.
Rookie Adam Cerra would put through Fremantle’s fourth of the night, with alarm bells beginning to ring for Luke Beveridge up in the box with his team 16 points down at the first change.
A quarter time rev-up would see a brilliant Bulldog response early in the second term, as their young players began to impose themselves on the game with excellent success.
A classy finish from Mitch Wallis would kick off the Bulldogs' resurgence, as the Dockers seemed to be coming away from what made them so dominant in the first quarter.
Returning to the side, Patrick Lipinski would stamp his authority on the game with a crucial major to bring his team back within a kick early in the second term.
With the game right up for grabs, Fremantle were able to get the momentum back with late goals to David Mundy and Brandon Matera handing the Dockers a comfortable 18-point buffer at the main change.
Fremantle continued their momentum into the third quarter as key forward Cam McCarthy put through his first goal 49 seconds into the term.
A Docker onslaught ensued not long after, as the dominance of Aaron Sandilands in the ruck would result in the Fremantle midfield getting well on top.
Six unanswered goals would break the game open for the Dockers in the third, with the Bulldogs simply having no answer for the class of their opposition.
A late goal to Boyd would stop the rot for the Bulldogs, as the nightmares of the first fortnight of the season began to resurface for Luke Beveridge with a big loss looming trailing by 50 points at the final change.
The Dockers wouldn’t take their foot off the throat in the last, as they pressed for critical percentage boost in the last quarter.
Similar to the third term, McCarthy would kick off proceedings with his second goal as the crowd could not get enough of the inspired brand of footy on display by their Dockers.
A long range goal to goal sneak Hayden Ballantyne would push the margin out further as the Western Bulldogs seemed to have checked out of a tough night at the office.
With the midfield putting on a show around the stoppages, Fremantle looked every bit a finals team as the likes of Cerra, Andrew Brayshaw, Bailey Banfield and Mitch Crowden showed the future potential of the rising team.
The Dockers would eventually take their foot of the gas late as Billy Gowers put through two well-deserved goals late to trim the margin to a sizeable 54 points by the final siren.
Fremantle will be looking to continue their good form in the first ever Western Derby at Optus Stadium next Sunday afternoon, while the Western Bulldogs will be itching to respond when they face a win-less Carlton team on Friday night.
FREMANTLE 4.0 6.3 12.6 16.12 (108)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.2 3.3 4.4 8.6 (54)
GOALS
Fremantle: Walters 5, Ballantyne 2, Cerra 2, McCarthy 2, Taberner, Matera, S.Hill, Fyfe, Mundy
Western Bulldogs: Gowers 2, Boyd 2, Lipinski, Jong, McLean, Wallis
BEST
Fremantle: Fyfe, Walters, Blakely, Neale, Wilson, Cerra
Western Bulldogs: McLean, English, Honeychurch, Bontempelli, Macrae, Suckling
INJURIES Fremantle: Taberner (fractured foot) Western Bulldogs: Dickson (hamstring)
TALKING POINTS
1. NAT FYFE CONTINUES HIS BROWNLOW FORM
After struggling with injury problems for the best part of two seasons, it seems as if Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe is fully fit and back in career-best form.
Fyfe dominated the Bulldogs from beginning to end at Optus Stadium, claiming a career-high 43 disposals along with seven marks and a goal, with the young Bulldogs simply having no answer for such dominance.
Renowned for his supreme athleticism and work around the contest, Fyfe led his team brilliantly all night, providing his team a target up forward, all the while bullying the Bulldogs midfielders around the contest.
If Fremantle are to make a push for finals contention in 2018, it will have to come from their inspirational skipper as he looks to add another Brownlow to his growing list of accomplishments.
2. BULLDOGS MAY HAVE SOLVED THEIR RUCK PROBLEMS
Since the fall of Will Minson, the Western Bulldogs have struggled to find a genuine number one ruckman, with a lot of different options being tried and failed under the coaching of Luke Beveridge.
On what was a poor night for the Bulldogs in the west, they may have finally found a solution to their woes in the form of second-year ruckman, Tim English.
Finishing up with 19 disposals and nine marks, English was able to expose Aaron Sandilands around the ground all night, as well as put up a reasonable fight in the ruck contests.
Blessed with great athletic ability and an excellent game sense, the sky is the limit for young English as he continues to develop into a solid versatile ruckman at AFL level.
3. MICHAEL WALTERS IS A TOP-THREE SMALL FORWARD
A solid contributor up forward for a number of years, Michael Walters has finally truly broken out as an elite small forward in the competition in 2018.
Contributing strongly with five goals and 18 disposals, Walters was unstoppable for Fremantle, with the young Bulldog defence unable to account for his supreme class and ability to win the ball.
Moving up more towards the midfield of late, Walters is an extremely dangerous proposition for all teams as he can either hurt them around the the contest or in front of goal.
Following a number of commendable seasons, it seems as if Walters has really managed to work his game out in 2018, which has seen him move up from a good small forward to an elite one.
4. OPTUS STADIUM TURF CLAIMS ANOTHER VICTIM
After Gary Ablett and a number of his teammates left the new Perth Stadium with lower leg injuries in round three, questions have been asked regarding the hard nature of the AFL’s latest surface.
The ground seems to have taken its next victim in the form of rising Fremantle key forward, Matt Taberner, who after a blistering start to the match was forced from the ground with a lower leg complaint.
With the extent of his injury still unknown, pressure is mounting on the ground staff over in Perth as more and more players begin to pull up sore from a trip out west.
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