The AFLW comeback of Brisbane defender Lily Postlethwaite has ended in heartbreak after the 20-year-old injured her right knee in the 49-point win over Fremantle at the Gabba.
Postlethwaite, playing her first AFLW game in 553 days after recovering from a knee reconstruction, went down in innocuous fashion late in the opening quarter of Sunday's 11.10 (76) to 4.3 (27) win.
The 20-year-old was clearly in pain as she was carried off the ground by two trainers.
Postlethwaite will now undergo scans to determine the extent of the damage.
Her injury put a damper on an impressive win by Brisbane, who lived up to their premiership favouritism by dominating the Dockers.
The Lions' forward line feasted on a lopsided inside 50m count that read 45-17 in Brisbane's favour.
Orla O'Dwyer dominated with two goals from 20 disposals, Greta Bodey kicked 2.3, Courtney Hodder was a constant threat at ground level and finished with 2.1 from 15 touches, while Jesse Wardlaw (two goals) was dangerous in the air.
Lions midfielder Alexandra Anderson tallied a team-high 23 disposals.
For Fremantle, Hayley Miller (15 disposals, one goal) and Kiara Bowers (17 possessions) battled hard in a losing cause.
The Dockers sorely missed injured duo Ebony and Kara Antonio, who are set to miss the bulk of the season, while the departures of Gemma Houghton (Port Adelaide) and Stephanie Cain (Essendon) were also keenly felt.
The Dockers were lucky to be on level terms at quarter time after Brisbane dominated the opening.
The Lions finally broke the game open in the second term with three unanswered goals.
Fremantle's victory hopes suffered a huge double blow during the quarter when defenders Jessica Low and Janelle Cuthbertson clashed heads and were ruled out for the rest of the match.
Low suffered a concussion in the incident, while Cuthbertson was left nursing a facial injury.
The game appeared over when two goals in the space of a minute to O'Dwyer extended the lead to 38 points early in the third term.
Fremantle hit back with three quick majors to give themselves a sniff, but a goal-of-the-year contender from Bodey quickly ended the Dockers' comeback.
After marking in a pocket, Bodey played on immediately before unleashing a remarkable checkside goal to send the home crowd wild.
The celebrations continued into the final term as the Lions ran away with an easy victory, posting the club's third highest AFLW total in the process.
