IF THERE were any questions over Fremantle’s premiership credentials, it washed them away in emphatic fashion on Saturday, holding off a late rally by two-time champions Brisbane to win by 25 points at the Gabba.

The 15.13 (103) to 10.18 (78) victory was the Dockers’ 11th on the trot and stamped themselves very much as the team to beat for this year’s flag.

LIONS v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats

On the flipside it was a third straight defeat for the Lions, following 41 and 78-point thumpings from Geelong and Greater Western Sydney, and leaves them teetering at six wins and six losses.

Fremantle was magnificent, leading by as much as 51 points before the Lions rallied with a strong fourth quarter to reduce the final margin.

The tall forward trio of Jye Amiss (four goals), Patrick Voss (four) and Josh Treacy (three) cashed in on the scoreboard, kicking 11 goals between them, but their 20 teammates were all equally responsible for the convincing win.

Shai Bolton (21 disposals and three goal assists) was electric out of the middle, Matthew Johnson (20 and a goal) tagged Lachie Neale early on and then got heavily involved once released, with Andrew Brayshaw (24) and Jordan Clark (24) also influential.

The only sour note was a knee injury to Brennan Cox that kept him from returning after half-time.

The Dockers led by 13 points at quarter-time, 21 at the half and piled on six third quarter goals to put the game beyond doubt.

Their ball movement from defence was superb and then the scores from clearance followed, with Luke Jackson’s third-quarter stunner from the centre a highlight.

Fremantle completely stifled the Lions’ ball movement – made more difficult once Keidean Coleman left with an early hamstring injury – regularly outnumbering the reigning champions at contests.

Brisbane was significantly better than it was six days earlier with Darcy Wilmot and Zac Bailey providing plenty of dash, but the Lions looked a class below for much of the match.

The visitors wasted little time in showing why it’s the best team so far in 2026, swarming Brisbane with pressure in the opening exchanges and sweeping the ball from half-back when given any daylight.

Isaiah Dudley and Treacy capitalised on slick ball movement from the back half, while Voss kicked a gem on the run from 45m to give them a 13-point quarter-time lead.

The Lions were willing, as evidenced by a couple of Cam Rayner skirmishes with Brayshaw, but they weren’t quite able, struggling to move the ball from behind centre.

Coleman’s hamstring injury that ruled him out following the first term didn’t help matters, and Freo moved out to a 31-point lead with little trouble.

Brisbane started working its way back into the contest through Bailey and Charlie Cameron goals, but despite locking the ball inside 50 for a long stretch late in the half, couldn’t get closer than 21 at the main break.

Fremantle’s three-headed monster fires
The Dockers’ tall forwards loomed as a problem for a Lions backline missing Ryan Lester and Jack Payne, and it played out that way with a virtuoso performance from Jye Amiss, Patrick Voss and Josh Treacy, kicking 11 goals between them. Voss began with a defensive role on Harris Andrews but quickly found himself a focal point, creating plenty of space to take advantage of his team’s excellent ball movement. Each of his four goals came from difficult angles. Amiss also bagged four – and could have had more – as he now looks mature and a difficult match-up, while Treacy (three goals) imposed himself on the game with physicality and brute force.

Another half-back goes down for the Lions
It’s already been a season dogged by injuries for the two-time premiers and they suffered yet another during the first quarter when half-back Keidean Coleman left the field with a hamstring problem. Coleman joins veterans Dayne Zorko (quad), Ryan Lester (calf) and Lincoln McCarthy (hamstring) on the sidelines with soft tissue injuries, while Jack Payne (knee), Oscar Allen (foot) and Eric Hipwood (knee) are also still on the comeback trail. 

BRISBANE     1.4      3.10     6.13     10.18 (78)
FREMANTLE   3.5      7.7      13.11    15.13 (103)

GOALS
Brisbane: Cameron 2, W.Ashcroft 2, Morris, Fletcher, Draper, Curtin, Bailey, L.Ashcroft
Fremantle: Amiss 4, Voss 4, Treacy 3, Switkowski, Johnson, Jackson, Dudley,

BEST
Brisbane: Wilmot, Bailey, W.Ashcroft, Berry
Fremantle: Voss, Bolton, Johnson, Clark, Treacy, Brayshaw, Amiss

INJURIES
Brisbane: Coleman (hamstring)
Fremantle: Cox (knee), Johnson (hamstring)

Crowd: 32,423 at the Gabba