Matthew Pavlich and Nat Fyfe celebrate a win in Fyfe's debut game

If you missed, or had forgotten, Nat Fyfe’s debut on 25 April, 2010 against Richmond, it was exactly what you would expect from a future superstar of the game.

The career of Freo’s two-time Brownlow Medallist started with a handball that set Hayden Ballantyne loose on the wing at Subiaco Oval.

By the third quarter, the then 18-year-old had lifted the Freo crowd into its famous “FRE-O” chant.

A 13-disposal effort for the Fremantle captain in 2020 would seem like an almost disastrous result, but his 13 touches under lights at Subi showed not only his raw talent but his football nous.

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Weighting almost 20kg less than his current weight of 96kg, Fyfe was still able to dominate in the air with three contested marks, with one of those leading to his first career goal.

But knowing Fyfe, he would have finished the game kicking-himself - he could have had five majors with 1.4 to his name by the end of the night.

The Fox Footy commentators on the night, Brian Taylor and Gerard Healy, clearly knew they were witnessing something special.

“That is a great kick!” Taylor said after Fyfe’s first kick in the AFL - playing on after a strong mark to hit an open Aaron Sandilands inside 50.

“If that’s the worst kick Fyfe does in AFL footy, he’s going to be an absolute star,” said Healy in response.

In the second quarter, when Fyfe took a contested mark inside 50, Healy said something that seems both amusing and prophetic in hindsight.

“He’s built like a jockey, but clearly his footy brains are more developed than his muscles.”

His second contested mark of the night led to his first career goal – a set shot from 35 metres out - putting Fremantle 11 points up and sending the Freo fans into a rousing ovation for the first (but certainly not the last) time.

Overall, it was a successful night for Fremantle, defeating the Tigers 15.22 (112) to 11.7 (73).

Sandilands dominated the ruck with 42 hitouts and two goals, while Michael Barlow, who was playing just his fifth AFL game, led the way in the midfield with 32 touches.