Forgotten forward Cam McCarthy silenced his knockers with a five-goal haul in Fremantle’s 82-point AFL win over North Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
McCarthy struggled in his first two years at Fremantle, and had fallen so far down the pecking order over summer that he wasn’t even selected for any of the club’s JLT pre-season games.
But Jesse Hogan’s alcohol slip-up and a hamstring injury to Brennan Cox opened the door for McCarthy to earn a surprise recall against the Kangaroos.
The former Giant made the most of his chance, booting four first-half goals to help set up the 21.15 (141) to 9.5 (59) win in front of 40,033 fans.
North Melbourne’s loss was compounded by what appears to be a serious left knee injury to Ed Vickers-Willis, with the defender to undergo scans.
Vickers-Willis suffered a season-ending posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee last year after crashing into a goal post in round seven, but his latest setback could be even worse.
And midfielder Ben Cunnington could come under scrutiny for an off-the-ball hit that floored Nathan Wilson in the last quarter.
North Melbourne entered the season with hopes of crashing the finals, but their error-riddled display against the Dockers would be a huge cause for concern for coach Brad Scott.
Fremantle dominated the first half, opening up a 39-point lead by the long break.
It would have been even more if it wasn’t for North Melbourne’s accuracy, with the Kangaroos registering 6.0 (36) in the first half.
McCarthy was joined by Rory Lobb and Matt Taberner in a three-pronged attack for the Dockers, and he shone the brightest of the lot.
The 23-year-old exploded in the second term, booting three goals to tear the game wide open.
Fremantle won the inside-50m count 24-10 for the term, with Nat Fyfe and David Mundy winning some crucial clearances to set up the scoring onslaught.
Fyfe had 20 disposals and seven clearances by half-time, and Fremantle’s dominance continued in the second half.
The Dockers had only cracked the 100-point mark six times during the previous two seasons.
But they reached that mark late in the third quarter when McCarthy kicked a booming goal from 50m.
McCarthy finished the match with five goals, 20 disposals and five marks, while Taberner (18 disposals, nine marks) was an important link man.
Fyfe (32 disposals, 10 clearances, one goal) showed no ill effects from his recent elbow surgery, and was rested for long periods in the second half when the game was already in the bag.
Fremantle won the inside-50m count 68-47, and clearances 40-27.