FAST-STARTING Fremantle handed Adelaide its fourth loss of the season on Sunday, with Kiara Bowers starring in a commanding 25-point win at Unley Oval.

Both sides went into the match with three wins and three losses, but the Dockers were a class above in the first half.

CROWS v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats

The home side lifted in the second half but was unable to get within striking distance as Fremantle went on to snap a six-game losing streak against Adelaide with an impressive 9.6 (60) to 5.5 (35) victory.

Bowers was at her powerful best, with her game-high 30 possessions and two goals the centrepiece of a dominant midfield display by Lisa Webb’s side.

The Dockers set up the win with a blistering four-goals-to-nil opening term, with their stingy team defence keeping the Crows to just seven inside 50s in the first half.

"I think from the get-go we were playing the footy that we knew we were capable of," Webb said.

"I think it's been building, we were disappointed with the loss last week, but I thought we did a lot of really great things today.

"The way we moved the ball, I thought we really assisted with the way that our forward patterns were, and just our grit and determination, which this group never shies away from.

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"I'm just pleased for them that they got to see a reward of that."

Hayley Miller kickstarted Fremantle’s first-quarter blitz with a superb goal from the boundary a minute into the contest and the shellshocked Crows barely got a look in for the rest of the first half. 

Bowers led the charge with 10 possessions and a goal as the visitors won the inside 50 count 13-4 for the term while keeping the Crows scoreless.

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Eight Adelaide players had one disposal or less in the first quarter and the situation didn’t improve into the second with the Dockers claiming the first six inside 50 entries of the term.

But the visitors couldn’t generate a score from that territory dominance as the besieged Adelaide defence held firm. 

The home side finally registered a score seven minutes into the second quarter when Maddie Newman sprayed her set shot and Sarah Goodwin broke the goal drought with just under five minutes left in the first half.

00:42

Good hands work for Goodwin as Crows finally cash in

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But Bowers bobbed up late to slot her second major to stretch the Dockers’ lead to 33 points at the main break.

Fremantle led by as much as 45 points in the third quarter, but Goodwin and Eloise Jones were instrumental as the home side at last found some rhythm.

Jones was swung forward and booted a goal either side of three-quarter time as the Crows rattled off three majors in a row to give their fans hope, but a goal to Angelique Stannett made the gap too wide for Adelaide to reel in.

00:51

Jones sets the tone in the last with slick snap

Eloise Jones bags her second major to give the Crows a glimmer of hope in the final term

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"I think their tenacity on the inside of the contest then being able to spread outside as well got us on the hop and they were able to punish us really well early," Crows coach Ryan Davis said.

"They were fantastic all day, so that ended up being the margin in the end.

"It's disappointing to let that one go that early, and then have to do so much work to try and get it back."

Hayley the history maker
Hayley Miller secured an impressive piece of Fremantle history inside the first minute of play when she slotted an impressive goal from the boundary line to become her club’s all-time leading goalkicker. The brilliant snap off her left boot took her to 41 majors to overtake Gemma Houghton. Miller continued her fine start with another goal late in the Dockers’ first-quarter blitz to take her career tally to 42.

00:46

Miller magic from the boundary gets Freo flying early

Hayley Miller nails a cracking effort from a tight angle and celebrates with plenty of passion

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Bowers breaks through for two
Kiara Bowers has achieved a lot in her decorated career, but what she hadn’t done across her first 67 games was kick two goals in a match. However, the four-time All-Australian and AFLW Best and Fairest Medal winner added ‘multiple goalkicker’ to her list of titles with two goals in the first half to take her career tally to 13. She even had a chance at a third, but her set shot from the boundary line in the third quarter went wide.

00:38

Bowers powers: Unstoppable Dockers star waves wand again

A red-hot Kiara Bowers slots her second goal of the contest to add to her outstanding start

Published on Sep 27, 2026

Up next
Adelaide is back in action against cross-town rivals Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval on Saturday evening at 6:45pm ACDT, while the Dockers will revisit their own local rivalry against West Coast at Sullivan Logistics Stadium Sunday 2:05pm local time.

ADELAIDE        0.0       1.3       3.4       5.5 (35)                        
FREMANTLE    4.4       6.6       8.6       9.6 (60)

GOALS
ADELAIDE:  Jones 2, Goodwin, Rasheed, Munyard
FREMANTLE: Zanker 3, Miller 2, Bowers 2, O’Sullivan, Stannett

BEST 
ADELAIDE:  Goodwin, Marinoff, Biddell, Newman, Egan, Jones
FREMANTLE: Bowers, Miller, Newton, McCarthy, Zanker, Strom

INJURIES
ADELAIDE: Nil
FREMANTLE: Nil

LATE CHANGES 
ADELAIDE: Nil
FREMANTLE: Madeleine Scanlon (tbc) replaced by Orlagh Lally

Reports: Nil

Crowd: TBC at Unley Oval