They say four points in Round 1 are the same as four points in Round 11 or Round 23.

But for Fremantle in recent years, their first-up performance has been as big an indicator as any about how their season will pan out.

In Ross Lyon’s first four years at the club, from 2012 to 2015, the Dockers scored wins in Round 1. They played finals in every one of those years.

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In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Fremantle were on the losing side of things in their opener.

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In each of those years, they fell well short of seeing September action.

Consider each of those openers. 2012 was a win over reigning premiers Geelong, 2013 an emotion-charged derby triumph, 2014 a road smashing of Collingwood, 2015 a gutsy win over Port Adelaide where a Nat Fyfe signature goal foreshadowed his dominance that year. All instilled hope and helped establish the Dockers as legit contenders.

And the losses: the 2016 Bulldogs disaster that signalled the beginning of the end of an era, a 2017 home pumping by Geelong, and a 2018 road rout at the hands of Port Adelaide. Each of them barely inspired hope of a good year ahead.

Camera Icon Michael Walters and Lachie Schulz feel the love. Credit: Getty Images

There is, of course, a hell of a long way to go after today’s win. But seeing how the Dockers worked with each other in defence, attacked relentlessly, and had a multitude of scoring options - even without Jesse Hogan - promised Freo fans that they might get much closer to finals than many pundits expected.

While we’re on Round 1, it simply continues to be a miserable one for the Kangaroos.

Today’s loss marked nine out of 10 season openers lost in the past decade. Talk about starting your year off on the wrong foot.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer and all that. But one Round 1 performance can often give more than a glimpse of what’s looming over the coming months.