We just witnessed the changing of the guard.

Fremantle have franked their premiership favouritism in the most emphatic way possible - by beating the reigning champs on their home ground.

Fremantle’s tall forwards ran amok as Jye Amiss, Pat Voss and Josh Treacy combined for 11 goals as the Dockers made it 11 wins in a row with a 15.13 (103) to 10.18 (78) victory at the Gabba.

This was a statement win. The Lions have not only been kings of the AFL jungle, they have routinely dismantled teams at the Gabbatoir.

But the Dockers dropped anchor in the Brisbane River and became Lion Tamers.

The third quarter has always been known as the premiership quarter so it was fitting that Fremantle kicked six goals during a stunning third term. It was the second week in a row where Brisbane fell apart in the third term. It wasn’t as bad as the 14 goals that GWS scored, but the result was the same.

Brisbane tried Plans A, B, C and D throughout the night in an attempt to halt Fremantle’s onslaught. They then threw one final punch in an attempt to produce a miracle comeback. That’s what you should expect from a team that has won the past two flags.

But the Dockers were too strong, too quick and too talented.

It was obvious from the opening minutes that this would be a game of contrasting styles. That’s what happens when a contender takes on the champs.

Fremantle wanted to move the ball by hand and the Lions were keen to chip the footy down the ground.

The Dockers had the first success when they transferred the ball the length of the ground after a boundary throw-in next to Brisbane’s behind post. Murphy Reid had three handballs in a stunning chain where the Dockers ran in waves, and Isaiah Dudley kicked the first goal of the match from a set shot.

That set up a quarter where Fremantle had 53 handballs compared to Brisbane’s 25.

The Lions took 27 marks to Fremantle’s 16, but the Dockers knew they wanted to kick short and the visitors kept them under pressure.

Multiple Lions dropped marks they would normally take and there were several other occasions where the ball didn’t travel far enough to be paid as a mark.

The Dockers were switched on. Voss kicked a brilliant goal on the run, Treacy nailed a set shot, and Fremantle went to quarter time leading by 13 points.

Fremantle were clearly on top, and that continued to start the second term. Treacy won a free kick with a tackle on Darcy Gardiner after a short kick wasn’t counted as a mark, and then Matt Johnson snapped truly moments later. The Lions looked rattled.

Now they started kicking long because going short wasn’t working. The problem was Fremantle just kept intercepting.

When the Dockers kicked quick goals through Amiss and Sam Switkowski - the latter from another holding the ball free kick, Fremantle led by 31 points.

Something had to change or the Lions were in real trouble. So they just turned the game into a slugfest.

Brisbane won the clearances 12-5 for the quarter and that got them back into the match. They kicked two quick goals through Zac Bailey and Charlie Cameron, and now the margin was 19 points.

The rest of the quarter was an arm wrestle. At times, it was a game of kick to kick. Brisbane would kick long to a pack inside 50, Fremantle would mark and kick long again. Brisbane would mark, and then the same scenario would repeat over and over again.

Along the way, Fremantle kicked another goal through Amiss when the Dockers got the footy into space.

But it felt like the game had evened itself up. Brisbane led the inside 50s and the clearances, but Fremantle’s pressure and dash meant they were 21 points in front at half-time.

The Dockers had a key concern when Brennan Cox’s night ended with a knee injury, which turned Heath Chapman into a tall defender.

The only way to beat the reigning champs is to put up a fight, and the Dockers did precisely that. Voss provided the niggle after diving into Gardiner after another free kick for holding the ball, this time from an Amiss tackle and tensions rose.

They went up to another level when Voss copped a high tackle from Gardiner. It was a huge moment in the game, but Voss missed the shot.

Fremantle just needed a chance to break Brisbane. That came when Logan Morris ran through Karl Worner after he took a mark in the backline. Freo got a 50m penalty, Worner played on, pumped it inside 50, Voss marked, and his goal was a dagger to Brisbane’s heart.

The Lions had tried controlling the ball. That didn’t work. They’d tried kicking long. That didn’t work. They’d tried being aggressive. That didn’t work either.

Then came the purple patch. Fremantle have constantly kicked goals in bursts all year. And they did it again.

Four goals in five minutes blew the game apart, and suddenly the Dockers led by 46 points.

The only question now appeared to be how much Fremantle would win by and how many goals the key forwards would kick.

Brisbane’s heads were spinning. Chris Fagan made it clear his team were no longer premiership contenders last week. Now he must be thinking that Fremantle most certainly are.

The Lions kicked some late goals to make the scoreboard more respectable. They reduced the deficit to 18 points with less than three minutes remaining.

That was a reminder that while Fremantle had rocked Brisbane and had them on the ropes, they hadn’t produced the knock out blow.

So it was fitting that Treacy’s third, and the key forward trio’s 11th, sealed their 11th win in a row.