Ballantyne injured as Dockers beat Blues

Mar 10, 2017 - 1:33 PM Fremantle goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne appears set to miss the start of the AFL season after injuring his hamstring in Friday night's 21-point win over Carlton at Domain Stadium.

Ballantyne cast a despondent figure after appearing to tear his left hamstring while tumbling to the turf following a kick in the third quarter.

The 29-year-old grabbed at his left hamstring straight away, before hobbling off the field at a snail's pace to go straight into the change rooms.

Ballantyne's injury soured the 2.12.14 (104) to 0.12.11 (83) win in front of 6639 fans.

But there were plenty of things for Fremantle to smile about.

New Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe showed he could be a Brownlow medal force this year with a scintillating display, while former GWS forward Cameron McCarthy booted six goals.

Two broken legs within the space of a year had cast doubt on Fyfe's durability, with the 25-year-old restricted to just five games last season.

But the new Dockers skipper made up for lost time with 38 disposals and two goals against the Blues.

Fyfe's hot form will add further interest to Fremantle's round-one showdown with Geelong, where he could go head-to-head with fellow Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield.

New recruit McCarthy cashed in up forward in his best game of the pre-season, while ruckman Aaron Sandilands, Lachie Neale, and Stephen Hill were influential.

The Blues finished the pre-season winless, and they face a stiff battle to escape the lower rungs of the ladder this year.

But they showed some good fight against the Dockers.

After trailing by 29 points during the third quarter, Carlton closed the gap to just 12 in the last before Fremantle pulled away again.

Star midfielder Patrick Cripps was a shining light with 26 disposals, while Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Kade Simpson, and Matthew Kreuzer got vital game time into their legs.

Carlton entered the match having lost to St Kilda (92 points), and Melbourne (54 points) earlier in the pre-season, but they displayed good spirit against the Dockers.

Tensions threatened to boil over several times in a spiteful opening quarter, with former Docker Alex Silvagni left with a bloodied face following an early scuffle.

New Dockers recruit McCarthy showed his class early on, nailing a checkside goal from the pocket to give Fremantle a handy 13-point buffer at quarter-time.

Fyfe tallied 22 possessions and two goals in the opening half, while McCarthy entered the long break with three goals to his name.

Lyon said the early signs suggest Ballantyne might miss three to four weeks.

"It was disappointing. He was really humming along," Lyon said.

"We need the scans. But he's saying it feels like a relatively normal hamstring. So three to four weeks."

Carlton coach Brendon Bolton was pleased with the hit-out despite the loss.

And he was full of praise for Cripps, who only recently returned from a back injury.

"He's a bull. He had a real crack. It just shows that mindset in football is really important," Bolton said.

"He was determined to push his body to give himself the best prep ready for round one given he's been interrupted for so long in the pre-season. Good willpower."

Source: AAP