It was the kind of afternoon that gets AFL fans genuinely excited about what is coming. Under grey skies at Mandurah, south of Perth, Murphy Reid gave everyone a glimpse of what Fremantle's midfield could look like in 2026, and the picture was a good one.
Reid, who claimed the Rising Star award last season while playing mainly across half-forward, stepped into the engine room on Saturday and looked entirely at home. He finished with 30 possessions in the Dockers' 12.12 (84) to 9.14 (68) pre-season win over Adelaide, a tally he reached just twice across his entire debut year. If Saturday was a sign of things to come, opposition midfield coaches will be drawing up extra plans for him come round one.
Teammate Hayden Young, whose 2025 season was wrecked by injury, also found his groove alongside Reid. The two gave the Dockers real energy through the middle of the ground, and on a day when a fierce southerly wind made clean ball movement difficult, that composure stood out.
Perhaps the most intriguing subplot of the day involved Mason Cox, the towering former Collingwood ruckman who joined the Dockers as a mature-age rookie after being delisted at the end of last season. With Sean Darcy not taking the field and Luke Jackson given a variety of roles across the ground, Cox had every reason to show what he could offer. He took the chance. His sharp tap work during the final term created the opening for Shai Bolton to kick the goal that put Fremantle ahead for good, and he showed he can contribute well beyond simply filling time when Jackson or Darcy need a spell.
Acting captain Josh Treacy was the headline performer for those who prefer their football measured in goals. Treacy finished with five, giving the Dockers a reliable target up forward that complemented Reid's work rate through the middle.
The match was far from one-sided, though. Adelaide arrived at AFL pre-season without Riley Thilthorpe, Izak Rankine, Mark Keane, Dan Curtin, Jake Soligo and Callum Ah Chee, all players who would start in their best team when fit. Despite those absences, the Crows were competitive and even led by 13 points early in the final quarter after making smart use of the southerly wind in the third term.
First-round draftee Mitchell Marsh caught the eye with a 70-metre goal early in the piece, and the Crows' senior players lifted around him. Rory Laird gathered 30 possessions for Adelaide, while Josh Worrell collected 27. Charlie Edwards and Ben Keays each had five clearances, and Luke Pedlar finished with three goals. For a team missing that many key contributors, there is genuine reason for optimism heading into their round-one blockbuster against Collingwood at the MCG.
There was a worrying moment for the Dockers in the opening quarter when Jye Amiss limped from the field with a sore foot after a marking contest. Fortunately for Fremantle, he returned to the ground and kicked a goal in the second quarter, set up neatly by Young. The kind of resilience coaches appreciate in a pre-season hitout.
The wind, as much as anything, shaped the contest. Fremantle produced a monster kick-in from Jordan Clark in the second quarter that carried beyond the centre square and landed with Young, who made it count. Adelaide only managed three behinds in that same quarter as the Dockers stretched their lead to 11 points at the main break and then to 18 early in the third.
When Adelaide wrestled the momentum back and took a 13-point lead into the last quarter, the match seemed genuinely open. But Fremantle kicked the last five goals of the game to close it out by 16 points, with Reid and the midfield group doing the heavy lifting when it mattered most.
Pre-season results carry their asterisks, and both clubs know the real work starts in a few weeks. But for Fremantle fans watching Saturday's performance, Reid's evolution into a genuine midfield force is the most compelling story of a promising afternoon at Mandurah. For Fremantle Football Club, that is exactly the kind of news worth carrying into the season proper.