Round 1, 1998
Fremantle vs Melbourne
Sunday 29 March
Venue: Subiaco
Attendance: 18,133
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Fremantle | 1.2 | 8.2 | 11.5 | 13.6.84 |
| Melbourne | 3.5 | 6.8 | 7.10 | 8.13.61 |
Fremantle win by 23 points
Goalkickers: David Neitz 2, Shaun Smith 2, Travis Johnstone 1, Anthony McDonald 1, David Schwarz 1, Jim Stynes 1
Brownlow Votes:
1 - David Schwarz
Best and Fairest
32 - Jamie Shanahan
28 - Anthony Ingerson
26 - David Schwarz
20 - Todd Viney
15 - Jim Stynes
Milestones:
First game
Travis Johnstone (and first goal)
Hayden Lamaro
Guy Rigoni
Craig Smoker
First MFC game
Jeff White
First goal
Travis Johnstone
First game as coach
Neale Daniher
Ex-Fremantle assistant coach Neale Daniher and former top draft pick Jeff White debuted for Melbourne against their old club but came out on the wrong end of the result. The clubs had played their last competitive game against each other in the final game of 1997, with wooden spooners Melbourne pulling off a shock victory. In the rematch, the Dockers lost two players from the selected side and conceded a 15 point lead at quarter time. The visitors remained narrowly ahead until time-on in the secnd term, when Fremantle kicked two late goals to take a six point lead into half time.
On a 32 degree day in Perth, Fremantle ran the game out better. Melbourne only kicked two goals in the second half, one each in time-on of the third and fourth quarters.
Best were Schwarz, Yze and Stynes.
Neale Daniher said "Our skills were shocking", and lamented that "We had plenty of shots early on, but just couldn't put them away".
Reserves
BYE
Notes
Age 30/03/1998 has crowd as 18,155
Media
Age - 27/03/1998, 28/03/1998, 30/03/1998
Football Record - R2 1998