Fremantle opened their JLT Community Series with a 10-point loss to Adelaide at Strathalbyn Oval on Sunday.
Here’s five key takeaways from the game.
Fyfe a standout, again
An obvious standout from a team of stars in the International Rules Series, Fyfe brought his off-season form to Sunday’s game with a performance that showed glimpses of his 2015 Brownlow Medal winning best.
The Fremantle captain crashed his way through packs on his way to collecting 19 disposals up to half time, before his raw possession accumulation slowed with a move forward in the third quarter. Up front, Fyfe was just as potent with two goals and taking six marks for the day - three of which were contested.
Coming up fast
While one pre-season game does not make a career, there were a number of exciting signs coming from Fremantle’s first-year players.
Midfielder Andrew Brayshaw (14 disposals from 66 per cent game time) showed the skills and composure fans would love to see from a no.2 draft pick, winning four contested possessions to quarter time – the most in the game up to that point.
Rookie Bailey Banfield quickly earnt the designation of a draft bargain from the Fox Footy commentary team, kicking two second half goals and racking up 11 possessions from 39 per cent game time. While AFL opponents make an obvious step up from the WAFL, Banfield has already proven his worth against bigger and more experienced opponents, winning Claremont’s 2017 best and fairest as an 18-year-old.
Tabs racking up
After averaging a league-leading 2.8 marks per game from his eight appearances in 2017, Taberner hit that mark again with three contested marks against Adelaide.
Most importantly, Taberner converted his opportunities by kicking 3.0 while taking seven marks and total and also contributing in the ruck with two hitouts.
Matt Taberner makes his presence felt! @freodockers hold a four-point lead over @adelaide_fc at quarter-time. #JLTSeries pic.twitter.com/GQlEWFWbq0
— AFL (@AFL) February 25, 2018
Comeback kid
Alex Pearce may not have starred against the Crows but his first performance after 645 days on the sideline was more than pleasing for Freo fans.
Pearce showed no signs of being held back from his broken leg, playing 82 per cent total game time, taking six marks and laying three tackles.
The 22-year-old also showed his importance to Freo’s defence with three intercept marks and two spoils, with the 200cm backman set to cause opposition forwards headaches in 2018.
Trial run
The AFL is trailing a restriction of the time a runner can spend on ground in the JLT Series, only allowing runners to deliver messages after a goal has been signalled before making their way off the ground as play recommences.
Lyon said the limited communication during the dying minutes presented a learning opportunity for Fremantle’s leaders.
“At the end, we know it was the game save situation, but we just wanted to leave a big space between the leadership on the ground and up in the (coaches') box,” Lyon said.
“We let that unfold, so we get some really good lessons out of that and obviously, the Crows did some things well.
“There were some things we could have driven harder, but it was still a really good learning opportunity. We’ll show those clips and walk through them and learn from them.
“The new rule with the runner only going on after goals contributes to that as well. So if (the rule) was to stay in, it just means that on field leadership has to be stronger and stronger.”