Nat Fyfe didn't appear to get out of first gear in Fremantle's thrilling two-point NAB Challenge win over Adelaide at Mount Barker on Sunday.
But with 26 possessions, 10 clearances and two goals, the Brownlow medallist was the difference between his side winning and losing. Of those touches, 17 were contested.
The Dockers kicked six goals to the Crows' four after half time to earn them a 1.9.6 (69) 8.19 (67) win — two late goals from the boot of Nick Suban sealing the victory.
The first of Fyfe's two goals came at the start of the third term to give Fremantle the lead for just the second time. His second, 10 minutes later, put them in front once more, but more importantly, also gave his side some momentum.
The Crows had their chances early in the game to set up a match-winning lead and late in the game to steal it.
A Richard Douglas snap with less than two minutes to go got the margin back to within a kick.
But really, they should have gotten further ahead than the match-high 14-point lead they held midway through the first term.
Inaccuracy proved costly for the Crows, finishing with 27 scoring shots to the Dockers' 16.
But these NAB Challenge games tend to be more about who isn't on the ground than who is.
At half-time, Adelaide led by four points, despite having seemingly controlled the run of play.
They had been inside attack 10 more times than the Dockers (27 to 17) and had seven more scoring shots (15 to eight).
But three of their top five goal scorers from last season weren't playing and the gaps they left were glaring.
Their top two players from 2015, Eddie Betts and Taylor Walker, plus Charlie Cameron, could have made life tough for a strong Dockers defensive line-up.
The Crows went into attack 13 times in the second term alone, for a return of just six behinds. Their last three scoring shots in the first term were also off target.
Brad Crouch, Sam Jacobs and Scott Thompson were also notable absentees.
Of the Dockers' three goals to quarter-time, one was from a 50-metre penalty and another from a free kick.
FREMANTLE
0.3.0 1.3.4 1.6.4 1.9.6 (69)
ADELAIDE
0.4.5 0.4.11 0.6.14 0.8.19 (67)
Nine pointers
Fremantle: M Pavlich.
GOALS
Fremantle: Taberner 2, Fyfe 2, Suban 2, Weller, Walters, T Mzungu.
Adelaide: Smith, Mackay, Jenkins, Lyons, Douglas, Sloane, Lynch, Menzel.
BEST
Fremantle: Fyfe, Sheridan, Barlow, Sutcliffe, Suban, Mzungu.
Adelaide: Laird, Crouch, Douglas, Sloane, Atkins, Lynch.