Anna Hay: The good, bad and ugly out of AFL’s round one, including Murphy Reid as a Fremantle shining light

Thank goodness for Murphy Reid! Anna Hay takes a look at the best and worst of the AFL’s first full weekend of footy, including the teenage saviour for the disappointing Dockers. GOOD – Murphy Reid ‘Bruce’, welcome to the big league — a place where you well and truly belong. The Fremantle debutant was a firecracker in the Dockers 78-loss to the Cats, booting four goals in four minutes. He is the only player this century to kick four goals in a quarter on debut. Reid played with class, skill and carried himself with just the right amount of confidence. He has the perfect amount of self-belief, something every successful AFL player needs. The Victorian was taken with pick 17 in the draft, after being overlooked by other clubs. I have a feeling they’d be regretting their decision now. This kid has a big, bright future and I can’t wait to watch him reach his full potential. It’s safe to say there’s another Reid in town. BAD – Bo Allan The Eagles top draft pick Bo Allan had been flying high all pre-season and was tracking for a round one debut. But on Tuesday the club declared he had been struck down with illness and would have to wait a little longer to make his debut. My heart went out to Allan. Luckily, the teenager is well and truly on the mend, and I don’t expect we will have to wait very long to watch him action. UGLY – Fremantle’s loss Sorry Freo fans, there’s no hiding from this one. That was an ugly, ugly loss. The Dockers were thumped in their season opener against Geelong — in a game where they were outworked and outplayed. Their slow starts from last season continued, but unlike last year, they didn’t flick a switch. Freo conceded 10 goals in the last quarter. Only two teams had that many goals kicked against them in a quarter in 2024: The Eagles and North Melbourne. For a team tipped to be top-four contenders, this was a pretty disappointing performance. At the Dockers’ season launch a couple of weeks ago, Fremantle president Chris Sutherland made a bold statement. He declared the Dockers were done talking and it was time for action. Unfortunately, all that pre-season chatter amounted to nothing on Saturday. They promised fans the world and delivered an atlas. It’s important to remember they were missing a big piece of their premiership puzzle in Shai Bolton, while Sean Darcy, Hayden Young, Michael Walters, and Nat Fyfe were also sidelined. Whether they were underprepared or undermanned, the Dockers need figure out the problem and fix it — quick. Luckily, they have 23 rounds left to do so. Next week, won’t be easy though. They’re up against a firing Swans side coming off two straight losses.