1. The tackling was phenomenal
Fremantle has broken plenty of records this year, especially through the agency of giant ruckman Sandilands. The same couldn't be said of the Lions. But, on an unusually wet day in Perth, the two teams combined to challenge the record number of tackles recorded in a VFL/AFL game. By three-quarter-time, the combined total had reached 184 – placing it 37th on the all-time list with a quarter still to play. This was precisely the reason the Lions were in the game, with their tackling pressure causing Fremantle to make some uncharacteristic errors. While the finally tally of 234 eventually fell short of the record of 258, set by Port Adelaide and Richmond at AAMI Stadium in 2010, it comfortably slipped into second spot.

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2. The Dockers are still not at their best
Fremantle may have extended its lead at the top of the ladder, but the home side wasn't convincing in doing so. Right now, the Dockers are two games clear of second-placed West Coast and deserve to be premiership favourites. But, in the past month, they have played some average football. While they accounted for likely finalists Collingwood, they were well beaten by Richmond and struggled to overcome Gold Coast and Adelaide. Against the Lions, the Dockers were again out of sorts. If not for a purple patch to start the final quarter, they might well have lost to their opponents for the first time since 2009. They say that the good sides find a way to win when they are out of form. The Dockers would be hoping they can find that form sooner, rather than later. 

3. Leuenberger stakes his claim
It's a tough day for a ruckman when you come up against Aaron Sandilands, especially when you are fighting for your football life like veteran Lions big man Matthew Leuenberger. While most remain convinced that suspended ruckman Stefan Martin has a mortgage on the No.1 spot at the Lions, Leuenberger reminded everyone of his talent when he broke even against Sandilands and Zac Clarke. He might not have managed as many possessions as Martin might have but his 51 hit-outs were important. He blunted the influence of Sandilands (53 hit-outs) and also managed to kick two quality goals of his own. 

4. Fremantle's kicking boots were off in the second quarter
On such a wet day, nobody expected a showpiece for the skills of Australian footy. But the Dockers would have been kicking themselves after scoring just two goals in the second quarter. Despite having the ball locked in their forward half for most of the quarter, Fremantle wasted several opportunities to pull away from the Lions and went into the long break level with the league's bottom team. Hayden Ballantyne, Nathan Fyfe, Zac Clarke and Chris Mayne all missed relatively easy shots at goal, with Clarke and Fyfe sending the ball out of bounds on the full. The Dockers' poor kicking gave Brisbane a sniff and another errant shot at goal by Aaron Sandilands during the third quarter kept the Lions right in the match.

5. Fyfe just can't be stopped for a full game
It's been almost impossible to curb the influence of Nathan Fyfe in 2015. Before the game against Brisbane, the Dockers superstar had only failed to reach 30 possessions on three occasions in 2015 – against Sydney (27), Essendon (27) and Richmond (26). He had also failed to kick a goal on only three occasions – against West Coast, Essendon and North Melbourne. But Mitch Robinson did a superb job on Fyfe in the first half, keeping him to just 12 possessions while gathering nine himself and also kicking a valuable goal. When Robinson was injured and required treatment during the third quarter, Fyfe was able to break free, racking up 10 possessions. Robinson's first-half effort kept Fyfe from hitting the 30-possession mark, but 27 disposals still put the Brownlow Medal favourite among his side's best on the day.