First quarter: Melbourne 1.5 (11) to Fremantle 0.0 (0)
Melbourne dominated the opening term, but failed to capitalise on the scoreboard.
The Demons had six scoring shots to nil, but registered 1.5.
Forward Tegan Cunningham was the only goalkicker, when she opened her account at the seven-minute mark.
Despite dominating play – Melbourne had 15 inside 50s to zip – the red and blue only led by 11 points at the first break.
Elise O’Dea had the most touches for the quarter with seven.
Second quarter: Fremantle 2.0 (12) to Melbourne 1.5 (11)
After not even getting close to the scoreboard in the first term, Fremantle managed to hit it twice in the second term – and claim the lead at half-time.
The Dockers kicked their first at the two-minute mark, via Emily McGuire.
And when Ebony Antonio secured Fremantle’s second at the 14-minute mark, the home side took the lead by one-point – the same advantage at half-time.
But after controlling the game early on, Melbourne was unable to register a score in the second term.
Daisy Pearce was dominant, however, winning 15 disposals by the main break.
Third quarter: Melbourne 4.6 (30) to Fremantle 4.0 (24)
The game went to another level in the third term, as both sides upped the ante.
Fremantle started with a bang, when it added two goals to make it four in a row. And when Lisa Webb kicked truly, she put the home side up by 13 points.
Just as Freo looked set to take the game by the scruff of the neck, Melbourne hit back hard with three unanswered goals via Aliesha Newman, Cunningham (who kicked her second) and Karen Paxman.
Newman’s major, which started the burst, was outstanding. It began via Pearce, who kicked the ball from defence and straight up the corridor, finding teammate Shelley Scott, who brought the ball to ground in a fine contest. From there, ‘Rocky’ Cranston swooped, took a bounce and kicked the ball long, before Newman kicked a soccer goal. It was arguably play of the day.
But during Melbourne’s comeback – it regained a six-point lead at the final change – Cat Phillips left the ground, appearing to injure his ankle.
Final quarter: Fremantle 6.0 (36) d Melbourne 4.7 (31)
With the game in the balance, a fascinating final term loomed.
But when Fremantle once again kicked the first two goals of the quarter, it was enough to secure victory. McGuire's second put Freo in front, which gave the Dockers a six-point lead and their second win of the season.
Melbourne added one behind for the term, resulting in its first loss of the season, by five points.
Pearce starred yet again and finished with a game-high 23 disposals, while Paxman had 16 touches and Bianca Jakobsson had 15. For Fremantle, Kara Donnellan, who played with Melbourne during the exhibition series before AFLW, she finished with a team-high 18 possessions.
The attendance was 3,125 at Fremantle Oval, with Melbourne set to continue its road trip next round with a clash against Collingwood in Alice Springs.
