Fremantle have notched a 60-point win over an undermanned Richmond at Rushton Park in Mandurah.
The Fremantle Dockers' stars took control from the opening bounce to dispatch an inexperienced Tigers' side 0.14.6 (90) to 0.4.6 (30).
Hayden Ballantyne limped off early in the second term and went straight to the rooms for treatment on his left hamstring. He took no further part in the match.
Ballantyne on track for round one
Richmond lost Ty Vickery in the opening term to concussion. He had to be helped from the ground by a trainer and did not return.
Fremantle looked sharp despite the Tigers' obvious inexperience. Lachie Neale (29 disposals) and Michael Barlow (27) dominated in the midfield, Michael Walters also pushed through the centre and was very damaging at times, while Tendai Mzungu was impressive floating forward and kicking two goals.
Matthew Pavlich, Matt Taberner and Jon Griffin provided a triple threat up front kicking eight goals between them, with Pavlich looking particularly sharp taking 10 marks and kicking flawlessly in front of goal.
"We came here to build on our patterns of play with and without the ball and we thought we did that," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said post-match.
"We acknowledge it was against an inexperienced outfit but that certainly didn't interest us."
Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe sat out the first two quarters but took an outstanding mark and worked hard in the middle during the second half gathering 11 contested possessions, the equal most for the match.
"I thought he worked into it pretty well," Lyon said.
"He might play three-quarters next week or a full game. He was really keen to get out there and play."
Ross Lyon post-match Q & A
The Tigers had few winners on the ground. Shaun Grigg and Reece Conca worked hard in the middle. Kane Lambert gathered 17 touches while Oleg Markov and Mabior Chol showed some good signs throughout the match.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Fremantle: Michael Walters is going to add a lot of class and depth to the Freo Dockers' midfield this season. He has been training there during the pre-season and started the game in the centre square where he was silky smooth with his ball use and decision-making. Lachie Weller looked sharp at half-forward which allowed Walters to push up the ground.
Richmond: The experiment of using Troy Chaplain up forward is worth persisting with for the Tigers. He played most of the match up forward and fought a lone hand at times after Ty Vickery and Ben Griffiths spent large chunks of time on the bench due to head knocks. He kicked a goal and worked hard. The Tigers should stick with it.
NEW FACES
Fremantle: The Fremantle Dockers' first pick in last year's draft Darcy Tucker looked impressive on debut for his new club. He gathered 21 touches and appeared composed with the ball. Sam Collins did not see that much game time but he did not look out of place.
Richmond: Oleg Markov and Mabior Chol caught the eye. Sudanese born Chol kicked a goal in the last quarter and took three marks up forward, while Markov got plenty of the ball and used it well. Jacob Townsend was quiet with just 11 possessions.
NEXT UP
Fremantle heads four hours south of Perth to the town of Mount Barker to face Adelaide. The Tigers head home to Victoria to face Hawthorn at Beaconsfield in a twilight fixture next Saturday.
FREMANTLE 0.4.0 0.8.1 0.11.4 0.14.6 (90)
RICHMOND 0.0.1 0.3.4 0.3.4 0.4.6 (30)
SUPERGOALS
Fremantle: Nil
Richmond: Ni
GOALS
Fremantle: Pavlich 4,Griffin 2, Mzungu 2, Taberner 2, Weller, Ballantyne, Barlow, Hannath
Richmond: Menadue, Marcon, Chaplain, Chol
BEST
Fremantle: Neale, Pavlich, Walters, Mzungu, Ibbotson, Barlow
Richmond: Conca, Chaplin, Grigg, C. Elli
INJURIES
Fremantle: Ballantyne (left hamstring)
Richmond: Vickery (concussion), Griffiths (head)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Dean Margetts, Jeff Dalgleish, Robert O'Gorman, Brent Wallace
Official crowd: 7,500 at Rushton Park
