Fremantle star Michael Walters has been reported for a head butt in the third quarter of his side's loss to Melbourne at the MCG.
Walters has been the hero for the Dockers three times in the past couple of months but he couldn't get his team over the line on Saturday afternoon and found himself in the umpire's notebook.
The midfield/forward appeared to throw his head towards Demon Jay Lockhart, giving away a free kick and igniting a spot fire.
Michael Walters has been reported for headbutting.
— AFL.com.au (@AFLcomau) June 22, 2019
Does he have any case to answer for?#AFLDeesFreo pic.twitter.com/q2bWAgJbPb
Nathan Jones bowled Walters over to reverse the decision and Melbourne hard nut Jack Viney ended up with no jumper after it was ripped off in the fracas.
Fremantle went end-to-end to kick a goal following that melee, seeing them take a five-point lead into the final break.
It wouldn't be enough however, with Melbourne taking advantage of the Dockers' injury troubles to overhaul the deficit and kick away to a 14-point win.
Fremantle were down two rotations in the final quarter, with Jesse Hogan playing no part after quarter time following a foot injury and luckless midfielder Stephen Hill injuring his hamstring.
Melbourne forward Tom McDonald was able to turn around his patchy early-season form, booting three goals in an inspired performance.
Midfielder Clayton Oliver made the most of Max Gawn's dominance in the ruck, with the veteran big man taking advantage of the young Sean Darcy's tiring legs in the late stages.
It was the usual suspects in Walters, Nat Fyfe and Bradley Hill who stood out for the visitors, while Brandon Matera kicked three goals.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Dees and improved their record to 4-9 for the season, while Freo suffered their first loss in four games, slipping to 7-6 for the year.
Things could yet worse for the Dockers with reports that Harley Bennell failed to finish the game in the WAFL.
