IT WAS the Kysaiah Pickett show at the MCG.

As the architect of Melbourne's first win of 2025, a 10-point victory over Fremantle, Pickett showed just why there's so much interest from Western Australia to lure him home with five goals in a dominating display.

DEMONS v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats

Pickett's performance helped the Demons to their highest score of the season, running out 16.11 (107) to 14.13 (97) victors over the fancied Dockers on Saturday afternoon.

After trailing all game, a late flurry of goals from Fremantle threatened to break the hearts of Melbourne fans across the country.

Jye Amiss, who for three quarters largely had a day to forget, was the man of the moment with two final-quarter goals to put the game within reach. But it wasn't to be, as first-year Demon Harvey Langford secured the game.

Max Gawn's (28 disposals, 31 hitouts, 10 clearances) second half was that of a leader putting his team on his back, with his work around the contest neatly followed up by a strong intercepting presence through the middle of the ground.

The hard-running, outworking, dynamic Demons of old were back in action. They went to great lengths to outnumber Fremantle at the contest, and used quick handballs to exit congestion and generate attack.

Harrison Petty (four goals, 10 disposals) proved to be an effective north star up forward for Melbourne. In the absence of omitted pair Bayley Fritsch and Jacob van Rooyen, Petty just needed to compete in the air to bring the ball to ground, and he did so with aplomb. From there, smaller targets in Pickett, Christian Petracca (25 disposals, one goal), and Kade Chandler (nine disposals, two goals) got to work.

It led Melbourne to record its equal-highest score of the year with a minute left on the clock in the second term.

Shai Bolton (20 disposals, three goals) did it all, moving smoothly around congestion and putting the ball in dangerous positions, but there was a sense of disorganisation in Fremantle's forward line. Coleman medal leader Josh Treacy couldn't reach his usual heights, starved of opportunity, and unable to make the most of those that did come his way.

It was even more impressive from the Demons given the absence of defensive leaders Steven May and Jake Lever.

Too often were the Dockers caught trailing their opponents to the footy, conceding uncontested marks across the ground as the Demons worked to keep the ball in motion. Maintaining an air of constant, but controlled movement, supported well by crisp skills.

That neat skill was reliably launched by Jake Bowey (29 disposals, 649m gained) and Trent Rivers (26 disposals, one goal) from the half-back line.

Meanwhile, the work of Jack Viney (25 disposals, one goal) to not only limit Caleb Serong's (27 disposals) output, but then won his own ball was remarkable, and allowed the Demons to get really dangerous out of centre bounces.

Viney's efforts were emblematic of Melbourne's smart movement to exit congestion, calmly flicking the ball around by hand to find the outlet, then pulling the trigger to run the ball forward.

Andy Brayshaw (33 disposals, eight clearances, one goal) started the game like a house on fire, while Hayden Young (25, three) worked nicely into it for his second appearance of the year.

The Kozzie Pickett show
In just his third game of the year, Kysaiah Pickett stepped out onto the MCG as a man on a mission. His work through the midfield, then sliding forward created countless headaches for Fremantle. His five goals for the game repeatedly forced the crowd to its feet, with his leap over teammate Harrison Petty late in the second quarter to take a stunning high mark an early crowd-pleaser. He only added to the highlight reel in the third term when he found himself one-out inside 50. Running onto the bouncing footy, he burned Josh Draper and just before slamming it through the big sticks, he turned to show the peace sign to Draper.

Battle of the hardnuts
Jack Viney spent his Easter Saturday making Caleb Serong's life as difficult as possible. Wearing the Docker like a glove around stoppage, Viney expertly forced Serong in tight, and then spread brilliantly to become an outlet. Playing in such a way, he wasn't just able to limit the output of one of Fremantle's most important players, but got really dangerous himself. Serong started to work into the game after the opening quarter, finishing with 27 disposals and five clearances, but he struggled to have the damaging impact he typically enjoys.

The chase down
Despite being held at an arm's length all day, Fremantle sent a shiver of concern through Melbourne spines late in the game. Two goals to Jye Amiss during the final quarter had Fremantle down by just one straight kick, and there was a real chance the Demons would see their first win of the season snatched from under their noses. But the leaders steadied the ship, and set up a sealer by youngster Harvey Langford. There was pure relief emanating from the stands as the Melbourne chant sparked up and just willed the clock to zero.

MELBOURNE    6.1     12.2    15.5     16.11 (107)
FREMANTLE     4.2     8.5      11.10    14.13 (97)

GOALS
Melbourne: Pickett 5, Petty 4, Chandler 2, Langford 2, Rivers, Petracca, Viney
Fremantle: Bolton 3, Amiss 3, Brayshaw, Reid, Treacy, Darcy, Sharp, McDonald, Dudley, Darcy

BEST
Melbourne: Pickett, Viney, Gawn, Bowey, Petty, Rivers
Fremantle: Bolton, Brayshaw, Young, Clark, Reid

INJURIES
Melbourne: Turner (concussion)
Fremantle: O'Meara (hamstring)

LATE CHANGES
Melbourne: Nil
Fremantle: Heath Chapman (illness), replaced in the selected side by James Aish

SUBSTITUTES
Melbourne: Harry Sharp (replaced Daniel Turner at half-time)
Fremantle: Isaiah Dudley (replaced Bailey Banfield in the third quarter)

Crowd: 25,202 at the MCG