Taberner with this freak goal!

The Retro guernsey design may have been eye-catching, but it was Fremantle itself that made a statement on Sunday afternoon, defeating reigning premiers Richmond by four points at Optus Stadium.

The Tigers had momentum in the final quarter but couldn't make the most of their opportunities, slumping to their sixth loss in seven weeks while Freo's finals hopes are still alive after the 7.13(55) to 6.15(51) win.

Fremantle dominated possession early but couldn't capitalise, and were rattled early in the second quarter when young forward Bailey Banfield was stretchered off after a collision with Richmond’s David Astbury.

Inaccuracy plagued the first half, with Freo recording 2.10 and Richmond 1.8 to halftime.

ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS

  • 03:42

    Rising Star nominee Hayden Young on AFL 360!

    It's been a whirlwind couple of days for our Rising Star nominee and Youngy caps it off by joining Gerard Whateley and Garry Lyon on AFL 360.

    AFL
  • 02:16

    Freo's 'spirit and desire' on show | AFL 360

    Fremantle's hard fought win over the Tigers caught the attention of the AFL world...the AFL 360 panel discuss what impressed them.

    AFL
  • 01:59

    Hayden Young | Rising Star highlights

    Hayden Young caps off a terrific game with a well deserved Rising Star nomination. Check out his his highlights from our round 20 match against the Tigers.

    AFL
  • 02:17

    Andrew Brayshaw highlights | Rd 20 v Richmond

    Brayshaw was a warrior against the Tigers, check out his highlights from this weekends clash with the reigning premiers.

    AFL
  • 03:51

    Triple M Live Stage | Danny Bau

    A ripping game and an awesome performance? Retro Round had everything last night!

    AFL
  • 00:18

    Team song: Fremantle

    Watch the Dockers celebrate their Round 20 win

    AFL
  • 09:51

    'I'm really proud of how they embraced the challenge' | JL post-match

    Justin Longmuir spoke to the media post-match following Fremantle's win over Richmond at Optus Stadium

    AFL
  • 00:48

    Schultz takes a screamer!

    Lachie Schultz with a speccy and an important late goal for Fremantle.

    AFL
  • 21:56

    PODCAST | Final Siren with a retro flavour!

    WHAT. A. WIN. Duck and Oz break down a nail-biter at Optus Stadium. And it's Retro Round, so it's only right we get on a star from Freo's first ever game back in 1995 - Matthew 'Spida' Burton!

    AFL
  • 03:11

    Last two minutes | Freo take home a thriller over the Tigers

    Rewatch the intense final moments between Freo and the Tigers in round 20.

    AFL
  • 01:23

    'I couldn't be happier with the boys' | Andy Brayshaw

    Andy Brayshaw spoke to Matthew Pavlich after Fremantle's four-point win over Richmond.

    AFL
  • 00:50

    Serong with the class finish!

    Caleb Serong kept his nerve in the dying stages to regain the lead in the final stages of the match.

    AFL
  • 08:26

    AFL highlights | Rd 20 v Tigers

    The Tigers and Dockers clash in round 20

    AFL
  • 00:23

    Taberner with this freak goal!

    Matt Taberner is on fire in his 100th game! Here is goal number 2.

    AFL
  • 00:34

    Aish assists Taberner to start game 100 off perfectly

    Matt Taberner kicks the opening goal in his 100th game from a perfect James Aish kick

    AFL
  • 00:24

    Bailey Banfield injury

    We're hoping the best for Bailey after he hit the ground hard from this tackle.

    AFL
  • 00:11

    The anchor rises again!

    How good was this pre-game...The anchor is raised once again for Retro Round.

    AFL
  • 00:15

    Colyer gets one on the run

    Travis Colyer gets our second goal against Richmond in our retro jumper.

    AFL
  • 03:42

    Fremantle v Richmond '95 | Retro Round

    Take a step back through time to the bangin' 90's when Fremantle played their debut AFL game against the Tigers. Checkout these radical highlights!

    AFL
  • 08:57

    'We've got a lot of weapons in our forward line' | Matt Taberner

    Matt Taberner talks with media ahead of his 100th game milestone against the Tigers this Sunday.

    AFL

Freo must have put their kicking boots on at halftime, as they kicked two early goals to start their second half in style.

The Tigers looked primed to stage a comeback late in the third quarter when mid-season recruit Matthew Parker booted a goal to bring Richmond within four points of Freo, but 100-gamer Matt Taberner booted one on the three-quarter-time siren to keep Fremantle 10 points clear at the final change.

The Tigers seized the lead early in the final term, kicking three goals in the opening minutes before Lachie Schultz and Caleb Serong wrestled momentum back when it mattered to get Freo over the line.

Andrew Brayshaw was hugely important for the Dockers, racking up 39 touches, 12 tackles and eight clearances.

For the Tigers, captain Trent Cotchin amassed 32 touches and Dion Prestia had 31.

A touch of magic for milestone man
Richmond's coaches hadn't even returned to their box after half time when Matt Taberner opened the second half with a sensational goal, snapping on his left foot as he ran towards the pocket. They would have heard the roar, however, and understood the goal drought was over. Taberner was important in his 100th game, kicking three goals and taking his season tally to 32. With Rory Lobb injured, he carried a significant workload and pushed hard up the ground when ruckman Darcy rotated forward. Injury-riddled for much of his career, Taberner's 2021 has been the best of his career, surpassing his 29 goals from last year.

Banfield's brutal knock
Forward Bailey Banfield has returned to the team as a pressure forward and he did what he does best when he laid a crunching tackle on David Astbury in the second quarter. So committed was he to the tackle, he went down hard with the Richmond defender and hit the turf on the boundary with his head, leaving the ground on a medical cart. The Docker was walking post game in a welcome sight, but will certainly miss next week due to the concussion protocols. 

00:24

Bailey Banfield injury

We're hoping the best for Bailey after he hit the ground hard from this tackle.

FREMANTLE          2.6   2.10   5.12   7.13 (55)
RICHMOND           1.1   1.8    3.14    6.15 (51) 

GOALS
Fremantle: Taberner 3, Schultz 2, Colyer, Serong
Richmond: Parker 2, Riewoldt, Lambert, Lynch, Mansell

BEST
Fremantle: Brayshaw, Mundy, Cerra, Ryan, Serong, Taberner, Young
Richmond: Cotchin, Prestia, Stack, Short, Rioli, Lambert

INJURIES
Fremantle: Banfield (concussion)
Richmond: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Connor Blakely (replaced Banfield)
Richmond: Josh Caddy (unused)

Crowd: 24,979 at Optus Stadium