An unbelievable goal-line save from Heath Chapman has helped Fremantle secure a one-point win over the Adelaide Crows in a pulsating Round 1 clash.
Chapman was locked on Adelaide’s goal line with Crows youngster Nick Murray as a kick from Ben Keays floated towards the goal with just seven seconds left.
However, Chapman not only managed to keep Murray from getting the ball, but stopped the ball from going through by punching the ball away from the goal before teammate Brennan Cox snapped it up.
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Chapman then got back up onto his feet and received the ball at the end of a swift handball chain, kicking it out of his own defensive 50 as the siren sounded to give the Dockers a 11. 17. (83) to 12. 10. (82) win at the Adelaide Oval.
The 20-year-old defender was at a loss for words when asked about his incredible defensive stop after the siren.
“It just came about and just happened, I guess. Instinct,” Chapman told Mark Ricciuto on Fox Footy’s coverage.
“It was a pretty unorthodox way to win,” Dockers veteran David Mundy added. “We fell away from what we wanted to do in that second half, but it was a great contest.”
The players weren’t the only ones left stunned by Chapman’s remarkable save, with the reaction swift and widespread.
“It’s impossible to believe they didn’t get a score,” AFL great Gerard Healy said of the play on commentary for Fox Footy.
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Chapman’s save was only required after the Dockers had been thoroughly outplayed by a spirited Crows side in the second half.
Justin Longmuir’s side had been in control of the first half, taking a comfortable 25-point lead into the main break. It was a lead that could’ve well been more, with the Dockers having more behinds than Adelaide’s total shots on goal.
Fremantle was left to lament its wayward kicking in the second half as the Crows roared back into the match off the back of a six-goal-to-none third quarter to take a 10-point lead into the final term.
The Adelaide Oval crowd was whipped up into a frenzy by the sensational debut performance of last year’s No.6 pick, Josh Rachele.
Rachele finished the match with five majors on debut, becoming the second debutant to kick five goals this weekend after Essendon’s Nick Martin did so against Geelong.
Fremantle’s efforts were led by Andrew Brayshaw, who finished with 28 disposals, while the evergreen Mundy, who is now the oldest player in the AFL, added 23 disposals.
Keays (37 disposals) was prolific for the Crows, while Matt Crouch collected 30 disposals in his first match since September 2020.
The Dockers now have a chance to get off to a fast start, with a three-game stretch at home on the horizon, starting with next Sunday night’s clash against St Kilda.
Meanwhile, the wounded Crows will travel to Melbourne to take on Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.