Fremantle forward Cam McCarthy booted a career-best five goals on Sunday to spearhead a stunning 82-point win over North Melbourne at Optus Stadium. 

Freo played with speed and flair to win their first season opener since 2015 in a canter, 21.15 (141) to 9.5 (59). 

With winners all over the ground, McCarthy was the star, booting four first-half goals as the Dockers made their move and finishing with a running goal from outside 50m to announce his return. 

The 23-year-old got his chance after big-name recruit Jesse Hogan was made unavailable as he tackles a mental health issue, and he benefited from a new-look game plan that cut the Roos to pieces. 

By the final siren, Freo had kicked 10 second-half goals to three in a perfect start to the season, raising question marks about the Roos' potential to improve on last year's 12-win season. 

It was the club's highest score since 2013, and biggest win since beating the Brisbane Lions by 83 points in 2016. 

Speedster Bradley Hill was critical in the Dockers' new run-and-gun style, finishing with 28 possessions and a goal, while Michael Walters booted three goals and was dangerous moving between the midfield and forward.  

Darcy Tucker's early shutdown job on All Australian Shaun Higgins was a highlight, with the midfielder keeping his man to 10 first-half possessions when the game was alive while booting two goals himself. 

Captain Nat Fyfe had a long spell on the bench in the final term but finished with a team-high 32 possessions, 10 clearances, and eight inside 50s playing with a large guard to protect his right elbow. 

North Melbourne lost luckless defender Ed Vickers-Willis to a suspected ACL injury in the first quarter and never recovered, with the backline under siege.  

Brad Scott's men could not break through Fremantle's defensive clamp, rushing to handball and turning the ball over repeatedly as the Dockers won the inside 50 count 68-47. 

North's day could be further soured by a potential Match Review worry for Ben Cunnington, who appeared to strike Nathan Wilson in the stomach off the ball late in the final quarter. 

MEDICAL ROOM

Fremantle: TBC

North Melbourne: Luckless defender Ed Vickers-Willis suffered what the Kangaroos feared was an ACL injury late in the first quarter. He will require scans after his left knee buckled in a marking contest but the Kangaroos feared the worst. 

NEXT UP

The Dockers travel to take on a Gold Coast team that showed plenty of fight in a one-point loss to St Kilda. North Melbourne hosts the much-improved Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.       

FREMANTLE                   5.4   11.9   16.13   21.15 (141)
NORTH MELBOURNE      2.0    6.0     7.2         9.5 (59)

GOALS

Fremantle: McCarthy 5, Walters 3, Tucker 2, Schultz 2, Lobb 2, Ryan, Fyfe, Hill, Mundy, Ballantyne, Colyer, Taberner
North Melbourne: Brown 2, Scott 2, Davies-Uniacke, Goldstein, Turner, Ziebell, Higgins

BEST 

Fremantle: McCarthy, Tucker, Hill, Fyfe, Walters, Pearce
North Melbourne: Macmillan, Scott, Goldstein, Cunnington, Polec

INJURIES 

Fremantle: Conca (finger)
North Melbourne: Vickers-Willis (knee)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, Power, Mollison 

Official crowd: 40,033 at Optus Stadium