Fremantle have stunned Geelong with a memorable three-point win at Kardinia Park to lay down their marker as a genuine AFL premiership contender.
The Dockers belied the injury-enforced absences of Sean Darcy and Matt Taberner, along with giving up the first three goals of Saturday's game, to prevail 10.9 (69) to 10.6 (66) in one of the finest victories of Justin Longmuir's tenure.
It was just their fourth win in 19 attempts at Kardinia Park and included keeping Geelong goalless from the 28-minute mark of the first quarter until the 20th minute of the third in front of 20,136 fans.
Fremantle are now 6-1 and second behind reigning premiers Melbourne despite skipper Nat Fyfe (back) not playing all season, while Geelong remain firmly in the pack of clubs jostling in the lower half of the eight.
Winger Blake Acres (27 disposals) was excellent while midfielder Andrew Brayshaw (28 disposals) was typically industrious.
Rory Lobb gave the Dockers a target all day, while Griffin Logue shut down Jeremy Cameron and Alex Pearce overcame Tom Hawkins' red-hot start to fight out an entertaining duel.
Defender Tom Stewart (40 disposals, 13 marks) was clearly the Cats' best while small forward Tyson Stengle (three goals) was lively and Cam Guthrie (35 disposals, eight clearances) stood out in midfield in Patrick Dangerfield's absence.
The Dockers looked shellshocked early as Geelong booted the first three goals of the game, with Hawkins kicking two.
Lobb steadied the ship, with Nathan O'Driscoll adding another from the boundary, while Lachie Schulz's late snap kept the margin to nine points at quarter time.
Geelong's Max Holmes injured his ankle late in the first quarter and was substituted out for Luke Dahlhaus early in the second.
Fremantle dominated the second quarter with their pace and slick ball movement but were wasteful early, kicking three points before Lobb's second major drew them within a point.
Sam Switkowski's long-range point drew Fremantle level at the main break, then they exploded in the third term.
In his 100th game, Darcy Tucker snapped the Dockers in front, with Switkowski and Michael Frederick nudging the lead out to 18 points.
Rhys Stanley took a hanger and converted from close range to revive the Cats but Acres hoofed a wonderful long-range goal to deliver Fremantle a 17-point lead at three-quarter time.
The Cats wouldn't go away in the final term.
Mark Blicavs launched his second goal from long range to cut the margin to three points with 26 seconds left on the clock.
But Fremantle hung on for a memorable victory.
Dees challenged by Hawks, but still make it 14 straight
The premiership quarter continues to serve reigning premiers Melbourne well as the depleted Demons held off Hawthorn for a 10-point AFL win.
Led by captain Max Gawn and star on-ballers Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca, the Demons held on in Saturday's twilight game for a 13.13 (91) to 11.15 (81) win at the MCG.
The Demons are unbeaten this season and in every game they have outscored their opposition in the third term, known as the premiership quarter.
They kicked clear again after half-time and it proved crucial, with the Hawks keeping Melbourne goalless in the last term.
COVID-19 meant the Demons lost coach Simon Goodwin and premiership players Luke Jackson, Kysaiah Pickett, Tom Sparrow, Harrison Petty and Alex Neal-Bullen for the match.
Adem Yze stood in for Goodwin and he continued this season's perfect record of assistant coaches who have taken over because of COVID-19.
The Hawks were in charge early and kicked three of the first four goals of the game to put Melbourne on the back foot.
The Demons did not hit the front until the first goal of the second term, when returning key forward Tom McDonald took the gloss off teammate James Harmes' fine work.
Harmes' shot would have been a candidate for goal of the week but McDonald marked on the goal line.
As late as 12 minutes into the third term, the Hawks only trailed by nine points to keep pace with the highly-fancied Demons.
But Melbourne then stepped up a gear, kicking four goals in a row to kill off the match.
They kicked six goals to three for a 28-point lead at the last change.
Gawn starred with 34 hitouts, 14 contested possessions and two goals, while Oliver (33 possessions) and Petracca (31 disposals) were prolific.
Ben Brown kicked four goals for the Demons and Jacob Koschitzke had the same return for Hawthorn, while Hawks on-baller Dylan Moore and captain James Sicily were their best.
Gray's behind the difference as Port snatch one-point win over Saints
Port Adelaide have recorded a tense one-point win over St Kilda in a scrappy encounter at Cazalys Stadium in Cairns on Saturday night.
Power forward Robbie Gray's hurried shot from beside the boundary for a behind with 31 seconds left on the clock secured a 5.13 (43) to 4.18 (42) win in wet, slippery conditions.
Gray came to the rescue with two goals in the third quarter that propelled his team to the gritty win, in which scores were level three times in the slogging final term.
Port booted five of the last six goals of the ugly contest.
Their ability to convert at crucial stages rewarded the Power with their second win of the season.
St Kilda were left to rue their missed opportunities, particularly several gettable set shots.
The wayward Saints ran up a horrendous 10 straight behinds from early in the second quarter until young forward Max King broke through for a goal early in the last quarter.
King was an example of the Saints costly inaccuracy though - he missed from 20 metres out directly in front from a free kick midway through the third quarter and then was offline with another more crucial set shot from 30m a minute after his last-quarter goal.
St Kilda had enough of the ball to open up what should have been a more sizeable lead than 13 points at the first break.
The Saints dominated the inside 50 count 24-8, but the greasy conditions ensured this was never going to be a tropical downpour of goals.
Every goal was prized more than normal and St Kilda at least had two, from a King free kick and a Daniel McKenzie shot on the run, to provide the early buffer.
The soap-like ball made precision handling almost impossible but a string of short passes enabled the Saints to land it on a leading Jack Higgins' chest for a set shot goal that stretched the lead to 19 points early in the second term.
Port gradually worked their way back into the contest after being outplayed in most key aspects early in the game.
And the renewed persistence was rewarded when a blind snapshot by Ollie Wines from close range cleared the groping hands of Saints defenders to bounce through for the Power's opening goal four minutes into the second quarter.
At least the dearth of goals ensured the contest was still up for grabs when St Kilda led by just 14 points heading into the second half.
Blues surge away from North in big win
Carlton captain Patrick Cripps has produced another monster performance to lead the Blues to a convincing 50-point AFL win over North Melbourne.
Cripps led from the front with 35 disposals and 10 clearances to have a huge say in the 17.12 (114) to 10.4 (64) victory on Saturday night at Docklands Stadium.
The powerful on-baller collected 18 contested possessions as the star in a blue-chip midfield that dominated the centre square.
Matthew Kennedy (24 disposals, 11 clearances), Adam Cerra (26 and six) and Sam Walsh (29 and four) all played key roles in the engine room.
Twin towers Harry McKay (four goals) and Charlie Curnow (three) proved a handful in attack and Adam Saad (25 disposals) was superb running off half-back.
North Melbourne's Jy Simpkin (22 disposals) and Bailey Scott (23) battled against the tide and Nick Larkey kicked three goals.
But the Kangaroos lost debutant Miller Bergman to a shoulder injury before half-time as they crashed to a fifth-straight defeat.
Carlton debutant Jack Carroll booted the first goal of the match with his first kick, nailing a quick snap from close range to trigger a five-goal opening term from the Blues.
They were given a scare before quarter time when ruckman Tom De Koning required treatment on a left foot injury, but he played out the match.
Cameron Zurhaar kicked two of North's three quick goals that levelled the scores early in the second term before the Blues broke the game open with a seven-goal third quarter.
Tempers flared several times after the main break and the intensity kicked up a notch when Liam Stocker landed a huge bump on North livewire Tarryn Thomas.
Jack Silvagni tangled with Jason Horne-Francis and Larkey may find himself in trouble with the match review officer for tunnelling Lewis Young.
Carlton got on with the job and key defender Jacob Weitering brought the navy blue faithful to their feet when he kicked a rare goal on the end of a 50-metre penalty.
There was a controversial moment during the third quarter when De Koning crashed into umpire Eleni Glouftsis as he went to accept a simple mark on the end of Carroll's pass.
Both went to ground, Glouftsis got up immediately, and the Kangaroos kicked a goal through Larkey from the turnover.
But the Blues led by 40 points at three-quarter time and hammered home their advantage in the final quarter.
Giants back in business with hammering of Crows
GWS star Toby Greene has terrorised Adelaide with a four-goal haul to inspire the Giants to an upset 59-point AFL win.
Greene also had a hand in two other goals in the Giants' boilover 17.11 (113) to 8.6 (54) victory on Saturday at Adelaide Oval.
In just his second match after serving a six-game ban for making contact with an umpire, Greene ensured the Giants belied the form guide to chalk a second win of the season.
Greene starred with an attacking support cast featuring his co-captain Stephen Coniglio, Jesse Hogan and Lachie Whitfield, who each booted three goals.
The GWS midfield, headlined by the brilliant Josh Kelly (41 disposals, seven inside 50s), Tom Green (24 touches), Isaac Cumming (33 possessions) and Tim Taranto (23 disposals, one goal), dominated the lacklustre Crows.
Adelaide's Rory Laird (35 possessions) and Ben Keays (27 touches) battled against the tide while Taylor Walker kicked two majors.
But the Crows' woes were compounded by acting captain Brodie Smith being knocked out after taking a spectacular mark, while Ned McHenry also didn't return after a third-term head knock.
GWS trump card Greene kicked the first goal of the game after taking a chest mark on the back of Adelaide's Jordan Butts, triggering an opening assault from the visitors.
The Giants booted 5.4 to Adelaide's 1.1 for the quarter as Greene kicked two majors, missed another, and had a hand in a chain of play that led to a Whitfield goal.
The dynamo slotted another two goals in the second quarter, crumbing a pack for a left-foot snap and, two minutes later, converting with a right-foot snap.
Greene's efforts with both feet came amid another scoring deluge for the Giants who added six goals to one for a whopping 59-point half-time lead, 11.8 to 2.3.
In the third term, Coniglio, as he did in the second quarter, opened the goal scoring.
Soon after, Greene offered a handball to teammate Taranto for another goal and when Harry Himmelberg followed with yet another, the Giants amassed a 79-point lead.
Adelaide trailed by 72 points at three quarter-time and belatedly outscored GWS in the final term as they crashed to a fourth loss in seven games.
