Breakthrough at the 'G
Fremantle landed at Tullamarine Airport this week having not won at the MCG since round four, 2007, when it beat Melbourne by 45 points. Dark skies and chilly weather wouldn't have warmed the players' hearts either but the 12-point win is a major one for the club, snapping a three-game losing streak and shaking off its MCG hoodoo.

More talking points

Lyon and Tigers
Before the match, Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was the centre of a remarkable statistic. In his five-and-a-half years as a senior coach, he had never presided over a loss to the Tigers. In his St Kilda days, he coached six wins and one draw against the yellow and black, and was meeting them for the first time as coach of Fremantle. Saturday's result leaves the Tigers wondering, "Just how do we beat this man?"  

War of attrition
The first half was all about injuries, and the mounting number made it hard to see how either team would have a full 18 on the field at the final siren. Aaron Sandilands hurt his foot in the first five minutes and was subbed out, while Stephen Hill and Jack Riewoldt were treated for sore ankles. In the second term, Trent Cotchin hurt his elbow, and Steven Morris and Michael Johnson tweaked shoulders. The curse carried into the third with Zac Dawson requiring knee attention. All finished the game but there will be some sore boys on Sunday.

Rain, rain, go away - but not today, says Freo
The rain set in shortly before the game and didn't let up until after half-time. While the Tigers were expected to start better given the familiar Melbourne conditions, it was the Fremantle players who seemed to adapt better. "It's a really tough day, we rarely play in these conditions so it's good to see the boys [play with] intensity," Matthew Pavlich said on Fox Sports at half-time.  

Ballantyne banter
Hayden Ballantyne didn't have many fans at the MCG to start with but an incident in the second quarter didn't help. He planted an elbow into the stomach of Chris Newman, which saw the Richmond captain struggle for breath for several minutes. The wheel turned later in the term with Newman intercepting a pass from Ballantyne to Ryan Crowley along the boundary, and then earning a free kick for an over-enthusiastic tackle from the little Freo forward. If only Jake King had been available to provide an eye-to-eye contest.  

Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs