Hayden Ballantyne had a Diego Maradona 'hand of God' moment in the second term. After Ballantyne smothered a kick deep in the Dockers' attacking 50, the ball ricocheted to Michael Walters who tapped it into Ballantyne's path as he ran towards an open goal. Ballantyne tracked the ball towards goal but tripped over his own feet and appeared to miss the ball as he tried to toe it through. But the goal umpire saw differently and awarded a goal. Ballantyne's sheepish grin as he high-fived his teammates suggested he might not have made contact with the ball.
2. White-hot Dockers
The Dockers were dressed in their white away strip for a home game in appreciation of their members and their record membership this season. Their pressure was white-hot from the opening bounce. They suffocated the Power players with numbers around the ball carrier at every turn and a 10-goal to one first half was just reward for their fanatical pressure.
3. Freo's dynamic duo
Ballantyne and Michael Walters have become arguably the best small forward combination in the AFL. Not only do they kick goals, their pressure and chasing inside 50 is maniacal. The pair, which combined for seven goals against Port Adelaide, has kicked a combined 72 goals this season and will be a vital X-factor in September.
4. Lachie lifts another gear
Lachie Neale's past month of football has been exceptional. Neale had played just two matches this year and just 13 in his career until round 17 this season. He had only 20-plus possessions once in those 13. In round 17 he matched his career best of 21. Since then he's gathered 26, 24, 26, 30 and 28 in his past five matches. He's also kicked six goals in that time. Ross Lyon was always aware of Neale's natural talent but he asked the 20-year-old for a lift mid-year and he has got it.
5. Cornes renews acquaintances with a familiar face
There were plenty of candidates for a tag in the Fremantle midfield but Kane Cornes went to a familiar face in his former teammate Danyle Pearce. The pacy left-footer has been an important inclusion into the Fremantle set-up since being acquired via free agency but he was reasonably well held by Cornes, who played eight seasons with Pearce. Cornes held his opponent to 15 touches to three-quarter time before moving to Lachie Neale in the final quarter.
