AFL Round 1 Geelong v Fremantle: Murphy Reid the one shining light in Dockers disaster

Fremantle’s trip to Geelong – and biggest loss under Justin Longmuir – was a disaster. Thankfully for Dockers fans, record-breaking teenager Murphy Reid was out there.

Move over Harley, there’s a new Reid in town.

Fremantle’s 78-point loss to Geelong in Round 1 at GMHBA Stadium was nothing short of a disaster, but the Dockers found one in Murphy Reid.

The 18-year-old single-handedly inspired a Fremantle fightback in the third quarter, kicking four goals in the space of seven minutes on debut.

In front of more than 20 family and friends who made the trip from Melbourne, the Sandringham product made a quiet start to life as an AFL player. Reid had just three disposals in the first half, all of which were in the opening quarter.

But the midfielder/forward came to life in the third term to give Dockers fans something to cheer for after an abysmal first half.

WATCH REID’S REMARKABLE THIRD TERM IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

Murphy Reid kicked four goals in seven minutes on debut. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

His teammates were just as excited as he was. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Minutes after shanking his first set shot, Reid made sure of his second after stepping around Gryan Miers on the mark.

His second was a regulation set shot after outsmarting Jack Henry on the lead. He beat two Cats defenders in the square to kick his third. And he was in the right place at the right time to slot his fourth at the top of the paint.

Reid was compared to Collingwood great Scott Pendlebury after slipping to pick 17 in last year’s draft. But he played more like Matthew Pavlich against the Cats.

“He had a great third quarter and great patch,” coach Justin Longmuir said post-match.

“He’s going to grow in all aspects of his game.

“We’ve all seen the skill and class he has and his ability to be composed in traffic and back himself in.”

MURPHY REID HAS THREE GOALS IN 5 MINUTES

— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) March 15, 2025

Players this century on @AFL debut to kick ..
3 goals in a quarter
Ben Johnson
Marcus Baldwin
Marty McGrath
Jason Tutt
Clay Smith
James Rose
Brody Mihocek
Riley Thilthorpe
Nic Martin

4 goals in a quarter
MURPHY REID

@freodockers#AFLCatsFreo

— Swamp (@sirswampthing) March 15, 2025

Murphy Reid four goals in 10 minutes, Sam Lalor, Isaac Kako ... Smells like teen spirit. How good is it to watch these young men take their first steps into AFL footy!

— Glenn McFarlane (@MaccaHeraldSun) March 15, 2025

i'm taking Murphy Reid over any of Lockett, Franklin or Ablett tbh

— Gordon (@beetgordon_) March 15, 2025

Reid was taken a pick 17 in last year’s draft. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Reid’s cameo salvaged what was otherwise a disastrous performance from Fremantle.

It marked the Dockers biggest loss under coach Justin Longmuir who prides himself on team defence. Geelong’s final tally of 23.9 (147) is also the second-worst score Fremantle have conceded under the sixth-year coach, bettered only by the 149 points the Western Bulldogs kicked on the Dockers last season.

“I’ll put my hand up,” Longmuir said.

“I clearly didn’t prepare them the right way.

“We’ll review all aspects of our week. I’ll review my performance. The team we put out today is capable than much better than that.

“After the first five minutes, we weren’t tough enough.Their hunt and pressure was at a level that we couldn’t handle and we couldn’t apply the same pressure to them.

“It was really disappointing, obviously.”

The Dockers trailed by 60 points just before half-time before Michael Frederick pegged one back on the half-time siren. It took Fremantle just nine disposals to kick two more goals early in the third quarter before Reid helped cut the margin back to 21 points at the final break.

But the Cats kicked 10 goals to one in the final term to run out comfortable winners.

The 10:20am WST start didn’t help the Dockers who looked flat, nervous and lacked composure in the first half.

Fremantle also fielded one of the least experienced teams in Round 1 with an average of 72.7 games played across the park compared to Richmond’s 78.5 on Thursday night. Just two Dockers had played more than 150 games.

But it didn’t excuse Fremantle’s lack of intensity and failure to cope with Geelong’s immense pressure.

“We had enough experience out there,” Longmuir said.

If two moments summed up the Dockers’ afternoon, it was Luke Jackson kicking the footy into the back of Matthew Johnson’s head in the third quarter and Karl Worner wearing the wrong jumper.

The Dockers will also be sweating on the fitness of Sam Switkoswki who suffered a groin injury in the third quarter. Fremantle was already small forwards missing Michael Walters (knee soreness) and Shai Bolton (lower leg) who failed to make the trip to Geelong. The absence of Hayden Young (hamstring) and Sean Darcy (ankle) was also telling.

Originally published as AFL Round 1 Geelong v Fremantle: Murphy Reid the one shining light in Dockers disaster