Fremantle Dockers News

Former Fremantle midfielder Andrew Browne has taken a claim to the AFL grievance tribunal over the depression that ended his career.

"Dealing with him individually was really important to me and we caught up quite a bit through the year and assisted him as best as possible, and so did the club, on various occasions," Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich said of his ex-teammate.

"To see a player who was really popular around the group, to see him go through what he did last year, and I guess throughout his whole career with injuries and what not, was difficult.

"But from my perspective it was all about support and helping him through it."

Fremantle defender Chris Tarrant says he will approach this season's campaign as though it is his last.

"When you're coming towards the end of your career, you just try to play every season as thought it's your last," he said.

"One serious injury for guys my age and it's over, so I'm preparing and taking every game like it could be my last."

Dean Solomon was given no choice but to leave the game after doctors told him he had "zero per cent" chance of playing on.

"I've seen two surgeons in the last week and the outlook they've given me is I have zero per cent chance of playing football again," Solomon said.

"Unfortunately, with that advice, I had no choice."

One of the hard men of football, Freo's Dean Solomon, has played his last game after a serious knee injury forced his retirement.

"Dean has exhausted all avenues of treatment, and such was the condition of his knee that the specialist's advice was that he should not play another game," club football operations manager Chris Bond said

Fremantle's Luke McPharlin hopes that playing as a defender in tandem with teammate Chris Tarrant in 2010 will help him revisit his best form of 2007 and 2008.

"I don't rule out playing a bit of a swingman role through the year, but I think I've played my best football in defence and I look forward to returning there," McPharlin said.

"I'm looking forward to playing with Tarrant. It's something I've wanted to do for a while and I think it'll hopefully be a pretty good partnership."

Stephen Hill and his second-year teammates have hit the gym with the aim to be bigger and stronger in 2010.

"Over the break they came back earlier and part of the plan was to put a bit of weight on most of those first-year [players] last year," assistant coach Dean Wallis said.

"They did that over a period of probably six to eight weeks and then we got a lot of running into them."

New Fremantle recruit Adam McPhee says he returned to his first AFL club so he could play through the midfield and not because of a more lucrative three-year deal.

"In some ways we all have a little bit of ego that we'd like to fulfil and part of that is being able to prove to myself that I can play through the midfield before my career is over," McPhee said.

"The third year is obviously a bonus, but it's not the main reason why I'm here - I'm not chasing the money. It's more about how I can get the best out of myself as a footballer."

Fremantle defender Michael Johnson says his hard work off the field this year has brought leadership rewards.

"Being out for most of the season with the ankle injury, I wanted to prove something this year," Johnson said.

"I really worked hard in rehab, so I guess my teammates saw me as a leader there, working hard in the gym and trying to get my ankle right."

David Mundy, Michael Johnson and Paul Duffield have joined Fremantle's group of leaders.

"The three players joining the leadership group are mid-tier players who are evolving and will need to put their own stamp on the leadership group," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

"With an increase in responsibility, you like to see enhanced performance from your leaders and the ability to handle pressure when a game is in the balance."

Fremantle's Des Headland believes he is on track for an injury-free season in 2010 after managing just 15 games in his last two seasons due to a string of knee, calf, quad and hamstring injuries.

"I've had a lot of setbacks the last few years and I just want to make sure I get through to Christmas," he said.

"There's only a week and a bit to go before we finish up. After Christmas, if I can get over January when the games start coming in, I believe I can get through the whole year."

Aaron Sandilands, who is contracted for the 2010 season, agrees to terms with Fremantle until the end of the 2013 season.

"I've always been really grateful for the opportunity Fremantle gave me to play the game at this level and now is a really exciting time to be at the club," he said.

Fremantle has emerged from Thursday's NAB AFL Draft with a pair of key position prospects the club says it has long sought after picking up Nathan Fyfe with pick No.20 and Joel Houghton with No.36.

"We definitely had Fyfe marked for pick 20, and with Joel we were always going to draft him, it was just a matter of working out which pick we needed to use to get him to the club," Fremantle national recruiting manager Brad Lloyd said.

"In the end we decided to use 36, just to make sure we were able to secure him. You're just always hopeful that a player you rank highly will still be there, so we were really happy to secure Joel."

Justin Longmuir has been appointed to a ruck and development coaching role with his former club Fremantle.

"In addition to his responsibilities as ruck coach, Justin will undertake a development role with our key position players," General manager of football operations Chris Bond said.

"He is a welcome addition to our coaching team and is ideally positioned to perform in this role."

Fremantle football operations manager Chris Bond says the club will do all it can to secure the services of Adam McPhee.

"It would be a great coup for this club if we were able to secure him during the pre-season draft," Bond said.

"We have been speaking to Adam and his management quite closely. We think he'd be able to complement our list very well."

Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley has put a serious foot injury behind him to lead his teammates in their pre-season time trials.

"Probably the last month I've been fully up and going, I've been able to go at 100 per cent. It's been slow increments over the last couple of months," Crowley said.

"The foot's fantastic. I couldn't be more happy with it."

Fremantle defender Steven Dodd is set to miss up to half of the 2010 season after undergoing major reconstructions on his right shoulder and wrist.

"His wrist was a similar surgery to what Hayden Ballantyne had last year and because they take a bone graft out of the hip and place it in the wrist it does take some time," Fremantle sports science manager Jason Weber said.

Geelong recruit Marcus Drum is convinced the time had come for him to leave Fremantle.

"My thoughts, sort of towards the end of the year, were that I'd given it all I could at Freo and I just wasn't getting the opportunity that I wanted," Drum said.

"I thought I needed a fresh start and a move closer to home to sort of rejuvenate me, so I could get the opportunities that I'd been looking for."

Heath Black says since retiring his life has spiralled out of control due to problems with alcohol.

''I am getting myself into trouble and in Perth it is a very one-degree-of-separation town. I can't continue this way," Black said.

''Once I finished going through divorce and retirement very close together, I just had too much time on my hands.

''The job I had in property development and the work I had at Seven was only about eight hours a week, I just had too much time to think and get on the turps.

''I go to the gym religiously every morning, but by about 1pm all my chores were done and work was done - and I would just open up the fridge and grab a stubby. That is the way it has been for eight months.''

Marcus Drum senses there are good things to come at his new club Geelong after being traded from Fremantle.

"Already I feel a sense of complete determination, like that passion is back, and I am so excited I just can't wait to get out there and train," Drum said.

"The perception is it is a really strong club and that certainly came through when I spoke to them.

"They said how desperate they were to get me, how strong the leadership group was and how the team only wanted players who were prepared to work hard and play for the love of the jumper."

Aaron Sandilands was presented with his first John Doig Medal on Friday night as Fremantle's best and fairest.

"I'm hoping to keep improving and I hope that we have success in the near future, because my football career's on the downward spiral now and there's probably not much of a window of opportunity," Sandilands said.

Geelong trades its second round pick (No. 28) to Fremantle for Marcus Drum.

"He has played some good games at Fremantle and we feel that his best football is still ahead of him," Geelong football operations manager Neil Balme said of Drum.

"He was a top 10 draft pick just four years ago, and has talent and a good work ethic, and sees the opportunity to play as the most important thing given our tight salary structure."

Midfielder Brett Peake will play for St Kilda in 2010 after the two clubs confirmed a deal on Wednesday.

Peake was exchanged from Fremantle using the Saints' third round pick at no. 48 in the coming draft.

"We are delighted to have secured the services of Brett Peake from the Dockers," St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said.

"He comes from a great football pedigree and has proven himself as a ball-winner and versatile player since debuting in 2005.

"He is a quick player who loves to run and carry the ball and we think he will be a valued addition to the St Kilda midfield."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says his club may look to move Brett Peake to St Kilda and Marcus Drum to Geelong or Hawthorn in next week's exchange period.

"We've got a couple of other players there who are going to move on in Peake and Drum," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

"We'll probably concentrate on those two guys and see what happens. It depends on the fallout of other clubs and what those clubs throw up from a playing aspect that we might be interested in."

Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands says being elevated into the club's leadership group in 2009 has helped his football.

""I've enjoyed the role I've been in and hopefully I can keep improving in that area," Sandilands said.

"It takes a few years to learn the caper and learn where to run and to actually get your fitness level at a good standard to be able to do it for longer periods of time."

Stephen Hill and Greg Broughton will stay with Fremantle until 2012 and 2011 respectively after signing new contracts.

"They both impressed with the way they went about their football in their debut seasons," General manager of player management Brad Lloyd said.

"We see Stephen and Greg as being long-term players for the club."

Paul Hasleby will remain with Fremantle for an 11th season after agreeing to terms on Thursday morning.

"I'll be starting pre-season training in early November and I'm excited about playing my 11th season with Fremantle," he said.

"Along with all the senior players, I've really enjoyed working with our young playing group. There is a lot to like about the future of the Fremantle Football Club and I'm very keen to be a part of that."

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich reaffirms his commitment to the Dockers despite being likely to be offered several lucrative deals when he comes out of contract next year.

"I'm contracted for another 15 months and I'm very confident that I will continue my career at Fremantle after that," Pavlich said.

"I get so focused in the process of week to week and seeing our younger players developing further and, for me, it's very much about that core focus of that particular time.

"So it's hard for me to think big picture and commit to long-term outcome-based thinking. That's just how I operate."

Six players have left Fremantle following the end of their 2009 season.

Andrew Browne has retired, while the Dockers have delisted Adam Campbell, Daniel Gilmore and Josh Head along with rookie-listed players Brent Connelly and Luke Pratt.

Fremantle has re-signed Rhys Palmer, Dean Solomon, Kepler Bradley, Tim Ruffles and Ryan Crowley.

"Rhys is the reigning NAB AFL Rising Star and an important part of our long-term future. We are delighted that he has committed to Fremantle through to the end of 2011," General manager of player management Brad Lloyd said.

"Following his surgery earlier in the season, Rhys has been working very diligently on his rehabilitation and we are really looking forward to having him back out on the field next season."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says full-back Chris Tarrant will remain at the club for the final year of his contract despite reports the revitalised full back was seeking a return to Victoria.

"He's contracted to Fremantle and he will be playing at Fremantle next year," Harvey said.

"When you commit to a four-year contract you commit to a four-year contract. He won't be playing for any other club next year."

The Age reports that Chris Tarrant is keen to return to Victoria after a successful shift to the backlines with Fremantle in 2009.

Tarrant's main motivation for returning to Victoria is reported to be his desire to settle in Melbourne following his marriage scheduled in October.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says Paul Hasleby will have to decide if he wants to stay with the club.

"I think we've put forward the contract; the ball's in Paul's court. Paul and his management need to make a decision," Harvey said.

Fremantle youngster Nicholas Suban breaks through with the NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for round 21 after notching 25 possessions in a 54-point win over Essendon.

"It's really exciting to have a lot of young guys coming through like myself. We are building to the next few years, and hopefully we can win some more games and help Fremantle push to finals and bigger things from there," Suban said of the young Fremantle side.

"It is really exciting to be playing with the group of guys we've got there at the moment."

Fremantle confirms a meeting with Dean Laidley but says no place for former Roos' coach at the Dockers.

''Dean is an experienced coach and we believed it was due process to have an informal discussion with him about football in general,'' Fremantle football manager Chris Bond said.

''At this stage there is no assistant coach position to discuss with Dean.''

On the eve of his 150th game, Docker Luke McPharlin admits it wasn't always his ambition to play AFL football.

"I'm the first to admit I wasn't entirely keen on the idea of a career in the AFL," McPharlin said.

"It was pretty much just an open mind and, 'Let's try this and see what happens'. I've certainly been thankful for the journey and where it's got me."

Mark Harvey has told rival clubs trying to lure Aaron Sandilands away from Fremantle to not waste their time.

Hawthorn, in particular, has been rumoured to be interested in the ruckman.

"As far as Aaron goes, he's contracted until next year," Harvey said.

"People can talk and speculate as much as they like at the moment ... trade week's in about two months' time.

"What I would say to every other club out there is, 'Forget about talking about Aaron Sandilands, because you're wasting your time."

Fremantle youngster Stephen Hill has added an inside component to complement his running game.

"I've been working on winning the hard ball, because it hasn't really been a strength of mine. I try not to think too much and just go for the ball, and want to get it," Hill said.

"I was probably more of an outside player coming through the juniors, so I've been working on it a lot lately with ground balls at training with the coaches' holding the bag. I hit them and work on getting in low.

"I've found that as soon as I do it, I want to keep doing it and get in hard. It always looks good when you do your review and see that. I've also been working on being able to play more than one position and being an inside and outside player."

Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw says Fremantle star Matthew Pavlich does not get the recognition he deserves.

"It's probably the tyranny of distance, but he just doesn't get the same recognition in Melbourne as some of the big stars - and he should do," Shaw said.

"I think he's an absolute superstar and one of the best players in the game. But I never seem to see him acknowledged that way."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey denies that he is punishing Paul Hasleby by giving the midfielder less game time after Hasleby refused to sign a new one-year deal and threatened to walk out on the club if not offered a two-year contract.

"That's one of those lovely stories that's done by external people," Harvey said.

"If you remember two weeks ago he had a calf injury that was nearly going to pull him out of the side, so we've got to make sure that doesn't re-occur."

Fremantle's Garrick Ibbotson says he feels like an older member of the team despite just being 21 and in only his second year at the club.

"When we're on the field it does feel like I've moved up a bit as far as experience goes," Ibbotson said.

"But I'm only 21 and this is only my second year playing football properly.

"I suppose looking around I do feel a little bit older, but I do still think that I'm a young player in the team."

Three first-half goals to Chris Mayne in his return game against the Bulldogs brings back fond memories of his debut season.

"It's been such a long wait with just being in rehab and watching the boys play, so it's such a good feeling to get out there again with them and start playing with them again," Mayne said.

"It's been as tough as anything could be really. You're sitting there every day watching the boys train and watching them play on the weekend ... and you're working hard in the gym and working hard in the pool and getting no reward for it on the weekend.

"You just seem to be doing the same thing over and over and over, but with such great teammates and club ... they keep you ticking along and they keep you excited, so with them behind me, I could do anything. That's why I was able to play today."

Brad Johnson will play his 342nd senior game for the Bulldogs against Fremantle, taking him past former teammate Chris Grant as the club's games record holder.

"By the very facts and figures that he has achieved for the Western Bulldogs, he takes over in my view as the pre-eminent Bulldog of all time," Bulldogs president David Smorgon said.

Aaron Sandilands earns the Ross Glendinning Medal after tallying 30 disposals and 30 hitouts against local rivals West Coast after spending the last nine weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

"It's been a long nine weeks to be honest," Sandilands said.

"It's pretty hard sitting on the sidelines watching. I was close to getting up last week against Brisbane, but the medical staff told me to have the extra week and the body really pulled up better."

Fremantle signs up two of its mid-range players for another two years in Byron Schammer and Paul Duffield.

"When you consider that we have had 11 players make their AFL debuts this season, Paul and Byron, who are both 24, help maintain the right blend of age and experience in our list management model," Fremantle general manager of player management Brad Lloyd said.

"Paul has had a breakout season in defence and Byron has probably had his most consistent season since arriving at Fremantle."

Paul Hasleby wants to finish his career at Fremantle but has been left frustrated.

Hasleby is out of contract at season's end and is seeking a new two-year deal.

However, the club has reportedly only put forward a one-year extension, an offer the 28-year-old quickly rejected.

"I've given good service during my time at Fremantle and I'm really keen on ending my career with a long period of success, and hopefully that's at Fremantle because I think they are building towards something," Hasleby said.

"I really want to be there when they are having their time in the sun."

Fremantle has admitted two of its players, Des Headland and Michael Walters, are being investigated by police following a Saturday night incident.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that an altercation between 10-20 people broke out at approximately 1am on Sunday near a taxi rank outside the Leederville Hotel.

Police and ambulance were called to the scene, with several people treated for minor cuts and bruises.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says captain Matthew Pavlich and ruckman Aaron Sandilands will be selected if they're cleared by the medical and fitness staff from calf and hamstring injuries respectively.

"No question they want to be playing this week. We will have to overrule to the expertise of our fitness and medical staff," Harvey said.

"It's whether they get through the training session really.

"We'd like them to be playing. We need them to play, particularly with the younger group, so if we can get them out there we will."

Injured Des Headland is hoping to make it back in time for Fremantle's round 17 clash with West Coast.

"I'm a couple more weeks away, so hopefully my body pulls up good and I play in hopefully the next two to three weeks," Headland said.

"I just pulled up sore after the Carlton game and that probably happens when you miss a lot of footy really - you play a game, you get sore and you miss a couple.

"I've just got to get my body right and hopefully finish off the year playing more games than not."

Setanta O'hAilpin is making the difference as a forward for the Blues after kicking 4.3 against Fremantle at Subiaco.

"I just think he gives us really good versatility in the forward line, in that if you put a big bloke on him, he marks the ball OK, but he's better at ground level than most big blokes, so if the ball hits the deck sometimes he can be too nimble for a centre half-back," Blues assistant coach Matthew Lappin said.

"That comes from his hurling days, when you've got to bend over and pick the ball up and whack it 100 metres while some bloke's hitting you with a stick. He's been getting better forward each week, and he's really lively. I think what he brings to our forward line is a bit of an `X factor'.''

Fremantle's Zac Clarke will take over the No. 1 ruck role for the Dockers against the Crows after Aaron Sandilands was omitted from the side due to a minor hamstring strain.

"It's always difficult for the guy in his first couple of games and his first year of league football, but the kid started to evolve last week," Harvey said.

Fremantle defender Michael Johnson has been ruled out for the next four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery on his ankle.

Johnson suffered ligament damage in the Dockers' round 10 loss to Richmond but bravely played out the match as several of his teammates succumbed to injury.

The 24-year-old was forced to go under the knife last week after struggling to shake off the complaint.

And in a further blow to the Dockers, youngster Brock O'Brien - who has played just three games since making his debut in 2007 - will miss the rest of the season with a quad injury.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says dumping utility Dean Solomon from the side for one week for unprofessional behaviour is part of an education process for his young side.

"Sometimes individuals will step over the line and with a young group we need to point them in the right direction. This is another example of that," Harvey said.

"We're trying to educate them through the best way to prepare to become an elite team."

Fremantle have suspended Dean Solomon for one game for taking part in a late-night drinking session with Essendon's Mark McVeigh.

"In this instance, Dean hasn't demonstrated the level of professionalism that we expect and require of a senior member of our playing group," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

"Dean accepts that his actions detracted from his preparation for this weekend's game."

Mark McVeigh's one-week suspension came after a night out with former Essendon teammate Dean Solomon.

"He made a choice, he chose a path and he missed a training session which is important to Friday night's build-up. It is just for one match, but it's vital we do this," Essendon coach Matthew Knights said.

"It doesn't matter if you are a first or second-year player or a champion of the club, if you're not going to get the club trademark right - that professionalism right, to prepare yourself to play - then we are not going to pull any punches.

"I always tell all my players we've got 46 on the list and they can all play, and I'm not fussed who I put out there because I know they'll do the club proud."

Matthew Pavlich is expected to miss the next 2-3 weeks of action after scans confirmed he had strained a calf muscle.

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich is out of the clash with Collingwood after sustaining a calf injury early in the second term.

Fremantle's needs for a small forward might see Hayden Ballantyne debut against Collingwood on Saturday.

"He plays at a really high tempo, so it wouldn't matter whether he played at WAFL level or AFL level, it would be the same risk," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said about Ballantyne.

"If you have a look at Collingwood, and possibly sides that have beaten them this year, sometimes a small forward can hurt them."

Defender Paul Duffield spent time in the wilderness, but is enjoying playing a pivotal role for Fremantle this year.

"I worked pretty hard with a sports psyche to cover the mental side of the game, but I really put it down to a really hard pre-season," Duffield said.

"It does make it hard going up and down and it's something that I sort of set myself this year to try and change.

"But it really comes down to the individual, what you're willing to do about that situation and to do something about it."

Cat Cameron Ling and Freo's Antoni Grover have accepted the reprimands handed down by the match review panel.

Both players were booked on striking charges during Sunday's clash at Subiaco and risked the prospect of suspension had they chosen to fight their reports at the AFL Tribunal.

However their clubs have opted to ensure their men are free to line up this weekend, meaning both Ling and Grover will be forced to carry demerit points for the next 12 months.

Fremantle chairman Rick Hart says coach Mark Harvey is as "safe as anyone" and hopes to re-sign him after his contract expires at the end of 2010.

"Every club wants to have a long-term coach and he's in the box seat," Hart said.

"His development has been very good and we'll continue to monitor that progress, but the way he is developing you'd hope he would be a very long-term coach of Fremantle.

"The one standout is his ability and willingness to invest in the young blokes."

Geelong's Cameron Ling can escape with a reprimand for striking Fremantle's Nick Suban, while Bomber Mark McVeigh is facing a week on the sidelines with a level three striking offence.

Fremantle midfielder Garrick Ibbotson says his young side isn't scared of anyone after giving premiership fancy Geelong a mighty fright at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

"Obviously losing isn't great, but Geelong are the best, and in the second half of the season we want to test ourselves against the best and see how we go," Ibbotson said.

"We're not really scared of any team. We have belief we can win every game, and today we played well.

"Knowing a team is the best in the competition, I think that can cause teams to be a little bit wary knowing that Geelong are going to hurt them if they turn the ball over.

"But we just wanted to play our own game style and see how we went."

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says the Cats would have lost to Fremantle if not for five goals from Shannon Byrnes.

"He kicked five goals and without his contribution we wouldn't have won, let's be honest," Thompson said.

"It's his best game, absolutely, for the club. I've been a big supporter. He missed out on last year's grand final and probably if we had our time again we should have played him.

"He's the ultimate team player and that's the beauty about guys who aren't necessarily in your best 22 or aren't your big profile players. To us he is a really, really important person and I've been backing him all year and will continue to do so."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says the competition respects the club for bringing in 14 youngsters at the end of '08.

"I think our effort and our competitiveness have been accepted in some way, shape or form," he said.

"And a lot of the decision-making at the end of last year has been justified with the changing of the list and the changing of the guard.

"I'd like to think that people respect the courage of all of those decisions, by the club particularly."

Mark Harvey says the oppotunity to observe the Socceroos prepare for a match provided was an invaluable experience.

Harvey used the first week of the split round to gain a unique insight into the professionalism of an international sporting side as the Socceroos rounded out their successful World Cup qualification.

"It was a very good insight into a professional organisation," Harvey said.

"To see the discipline of the Australian European players who come back and to see how they operate [under] a Dutch coach ... I found it very interesting."

Fremantle will welcome back Luke McPharlin and defender Antoni Grover for Sunday's clash with Geelong at Subiaco Oval.

Fremantle has moved to block opposition clubs swooping on superstar pair Matthew Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands next year particularly with Gold Coast set to make a play for uncontracted players.

"We will have strategies in place where people aren't vulnerable and we're not going to be caught out where we'll be attacked by those clubs for our players," general manager Chris Bond said.

"Key players who fit into that model won't be allowed to do that, but we won't be held to ransom on the other side of things as well."

Fremantle could rest prized recruit Stephen Hill from matches in a bid to protect the 19-year-old's rangy body.

"If we have to give 'Hilly' a break before the end of the year because our fitness and medical people came to us and said he needed a break, we wouldn't hesitate in giving him a rest," Dockers football boss Chris Bond said.

"That wouldn't matter who we were playing because we see our first-year players as especially being looked after for more long-term availability views."

Adjusting to the pace of AFL football will be a challenge for Fremantle debutant Clancee Pearce, but Mark Harvey believes he will quickly find his feet.

"He brings a real toughness and honesty about the way he plays. He doesn't get fazed by who he's playing on," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

Fremantle rookie Clancee Pearce will play against Port Adelaide this weekend after injuries to Antoni Grover and Luke McPharlin.

"Three out of those four guys that are out are in our leadership group, which is significant," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

"I don't think I've been through a list like this as in the injuries so early in the season.

"You find out a lot about your list and the resolve and what you can do when a lot of things aren't going right for you."

Former Bomber Mark Johnson is seeking a five-figure pay out from the Dockers for an injury suffered in his year at Fremantle.

"We are continuing to work with Mark and his management on establishing an agreed framework for the rehabilitation of Mark's shoulders following his retirement from football last season," Fremantle chief executive Steve Rosich said.

Mark Harvey has called on critics to leave Terry Wallace alone amid reports the Richmond coach is battling stress-related health issues.

"I think we need to be a lot more remembering of the contribution of what Terry Wallace has done to the AFL and VFL," Harvey said.

"There's not too many guys that have done that but here we are seeing a regular day-to-day basis of the critical nature of how he's going about his coaching or whether he should or shouldn't stay.

"He's brought an enormous amount to the game and we shouldn't forget that."

Fremantly may select Hayden Ballantyne this week, even though he has not played a competitive game this season.

"Ballantyne might be a guy that we might look at," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

"He's had five months of running and training. Not football content, but five months of training."

If Ben Cousins succeeds in his race to recover from a broken hand, he may find himself in a race against Fremantle speedster Stephen Hill.

Dockers coach Mark Harvey indicated this afternoon 19-year-old Hill was likely to get the job on Cousins should the 2005 Brownlow Medallist front up for his Perth homecoming in Saturday night's clash at Subiaco Oval.

"If we are going to come of age as a team we have to challenge our younger players and sometimes put them on the best players of the opposition," Harvey said.

"I just fleetingly mentioned it on the way here and he just smiled and kept walking, like he always does.

"I think he plays with experience, even though he's only nine games down the track he doesn't get flustered and he backs himself in."

On the eve of his 200th game, Fremantle's Dean Solomon says he is uncomfortable with the hard man tag.

"It doesn't sit that well, hard man, tough man. If anyone knows me personally I'm a pretty soft kind of guy," Solomon said.

"I just play footy the only way I've known how to play and that's just see the ball, try and get the ball.

"There's a lot of impact sometimes in that style of play, but it doesn't sit overly comfortably with me, that's just the way I play."

Roger Hayden has undergone surgery after breaking his leg in the match against North Melbourne and will miss 6-8 weeks.

"It was not until after Roger had scans on his leg and seen an orthopaedic surgeon yesterday that the full extent of the injury was able to be determined," General manager of football operations Chris Bond said.

"Roger fractured the fibula in his leg and had a plate inserted during surgery today.

"Given the nature of the injury we expect at this stage that he will miss between six to eight weeks."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says if Des Headland trains well today he will be selected to play against North Melbourne.

"He got through the game and we were reasonably happy with his contributions for Subiaco; he just adds experience," Dockers coach Mark Harvey said.

"He's probably not 100 per cent match fit from an AFL point of view, but if you know how hard Des Headland has trained in the last six or seven months you'd say he's not too far away."

After appearing washed up, Chris Tarrant has been transformed into Freo's key defender.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says Des Headland may still play against Hawthorn on Friday night after being kept out of the side with a calf injury.

Fremantle midfielder Byron Schammer has won his challenge against a striking charge at the AFL tribunal.

Fremantle midfielder Paul Hasleby says a meeting of senior players is responsible for the side's turnaround.

After a poor 0-4 start to 2009, Fremantle have now won 3 in a row.

"The senior players got together four weeks ago and said, 'If we're going to turn this around it's going to have to come from us'," Hasleby said.

"It was a leadership thing. When we were 0-4 we were going through a pretty tough time and we needed some people to steady the ship.

"We took it upon ourselves to really turn it around and I think you'll see every senior player has really lifted their work rate and their influence in the game since that point.

"We've all delivered in that area."

Byron Schammer will challenge a one-match suspension for striking at the Tribunal on Tuesday night.

Byron Schammer is facing a week on the sidelines for striking Blue Marc Murphy.

Young Fremantle tagger Garrick Ibbotson took a lot out of his clash with Carlton captain Chris Judd on Saturday night.

Ibbotson tallied 23 touches while opposed to the Carlton captain who notched 28 disposals and a goal.

"I wanted to try and get a bit of the ball myself," Ibbotson said.

"I had a focus of starting with Judd and playing on him but at the same time I wanted to be able to make sure that I could try and get some of the ball myself and not just be 100 per cent committed to working with him."

Fremantle assistant coach Barry Mitchell confirms Luke Pratt will be elevated to the senior list.

"He's played really well in the backline for Swans (Districts). He's been really desperate, put his body on the line, so he deserves his chance to be in the squad," Mitchell said.

"He puts himself in. He's not frightened at all. He plays with a really good intensity and that's what we need from all of our players."

The only affect early season media barbs has had on Fremantle coach Mark Harvey is to drive him even harder toward success.

"I'm old school; mentally it doesn’t affect me," he said of the criticism.

"It actually drives me further to the depths of coaching where you need to try to get the best out of the playing group.

"That's how I see it. Do I get personal about things that are said? No, I don't. But sometimes I'll ring the person in the media and have a chat to them about their opinion, that's all."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says Matthew Pavlich will continue to play an important role in the midfield as a mentor to his younger teammates.

"It's really important with these younger players that we're putting through the midfield, for Mathew to be there and guide them and make them understand about where the momentum of the game starts," Harvey said.

"When you play as a key forward and you're a dominant forward, what happens is the game is in front of you, you don't get it your way a lot of the time, because sides are so good at pushing back as soon as they lose control of the ball."

Personal reasons will keep Andrew Browne out of the Fremantle line-up indefinitely with the club declining to comment any further on the issue.

Stephen Hill played a key part in his side's win over the team he idolised as a kid with 21 disposals against the Eagles.

His performance earned him a rising star nomination along the way.

"The build-up is pretty big and the game was quite physical and intense. It was very enjoyable to play in," Hill said.

"The Eagles fans were pretty loud and it was good to get a win over them."

Matt de Boer will become Fremantle's fourth debutant this year when he runs out in Saturday's western derby at Subiaco Oval.

"It's a big occasion for him," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

"He's a product of WA football, coming from grass roots, playing at Claremont, being on the rookie list and now playing his first game for Fremantle against West Coast.

"He's got a more seasoned bodies than a lot of other guys we've got just out of the side at the moment.

"He's got a good temperament and he's got this exciting nature about him that can really enthuse the side.

"I'll ask him to fill a role and hopefully he can do that.

"Every club goes through injuries but when you lose one of your star midfielder like Rhys it can be difficult so it puts pressure on other guys to fill the void in that area."

Fremantle young gun Rhys Palmer will miss the rest of the AFL season after damaging the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the Dockers' clash with Sydney.

"It was initially thought that Palmer had avoided any major damage but the extent of the injury was unable to be determined at the time because it was not a complete tear of the ACL," football operations manager Chris Bond said.

"It is very disappointing for Rhys and the club.

"But we are very confident that after the appropriate period of recovery and rehabilitation, Rhys will be back playing the brand of football we know he is capable of."

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich states his desire to stay with the Dockers.

"I'd find it very surprising that our supporters haven't seen me be absolutely committed for nine-and-a-half years and be absolutely committed for the next 18 months," Pavlich said.

"I find it baffling that anyone would ever question that. For it to even be asked or questioned is really surprising."

"I want to be playing here and playing in sustained success, that's what I want to be doing."

Mark Harvey believes the fun is being taken out of the AFL after the media frenzy over what turned out to be a harmless prank when Docker players dressed themselves up in white costumes resembling those worn by the Ku Klux Klan.

"They were having a bit of fun away from their normal routine of being a professional footballer," Harvey said.

"As you saw there was nothing in it but it was blown up to be something a lot more than what it was.

"I think we should draw the curtain on it and move on.

"They are only young players and young men, and they're under a lot of pressure but we are putting them under more pressure for no apparent reason."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says it is bewildering why people would suggest trading Matthew Pavlich.

The Dockers have so far struggled with a winless start to 2009.

"It's really too easy for guys in really high profile positions in the media to dissect a club and pull the club apart," Harvey said.

"From afar it can always be easy to have a look at Fremantle and quickly pull the trigger on everything about the club."

St Kilda's Leigh Montagna will front the AFL tribunal tonight to contest a charge of striking Paul Hasleby.

Fremantle has become embroiled in a fresh controversy after it was revealed players are dressing up as members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Freamntle captain Matthew Pavlich refuses to rule out leaving the club at the end of his current contract with his Dockers still having failed to register a win in 2009 after 4 rounds.

"I have not ruled out anything, I am in contract for a couple of years and I am getting on in age as well - we will wait and see what happens," Pavlich said.

"It is an unbelievably hard question to answer right at this moment. I am in contract for another 18 months."

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich has dismissed a suggestion that the Dockers are a "laughing stock" saying that the Dockers are going through a period of rebuilding.

"When you lose about 1500 games of experience like we did last year and we draft in 14 new players," Pavlich said.

"Right now, we're going through a phase, it's going to take a bit of time."

Fremantle defender Michael Johnson says his team let down club stalwart Antoni Grover in his milestone match against St Kilda at Docklands on Saturday night.

"We were very disappointed in our effort today. We actually thought we played all right in the second quarter and we almost outscored them, but we were just very disappointed with the effort and we let down our fellow teammate Antoni Grover on his 150th game," he said.

Fremantle coach says the treatment being dished out to Richmond's Terry Wallace is unacceptable.

"To me that's unacceptable," Harvey said.

"To maybe editors it looks OK, but take into consideration Terry's family.

"You've always got to be mindful of what you say or do in the public domain whether you're in the media or you're a coach or a player. I think we are all held accountable for that.

"What's become quite interesting in the AFL is how quickly we tend to jump down what coaches are doing.

"I don't know whether that's because player behaviour is actually a lot better now and we tend not to be able to harp on that now, so we come back to coaches a little bit."

Fremantle defender Antoni Grover is at a loss to explain early-season skill errors, but pledges improvement in time.

"To put an exact reason on it is not an easy thing to do, but it's not acceptable and it's disappointing for our fans," Grover said from Fremantle Oval on Tuesday.

"We just want to keep demanding excellence of each other, whether we're on the training track, in the gym or on the field.

"And each time we go out to play we want to keep raising the bar and lifting our expectations of each other."

Fremantle rookie Greg Broughton has described his debut selection for Sunday's AFL clash with Adelaide at Subiaco Oval as a "dream come true".

"He doesn't get rattled and he has no fear about putting it on the line," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

"He's dogged, determined, hates to be beaten and plays with the desire that you look for.

"Greg has also got a creative side to his game and has good composure for a guy who hasn't played at the elite level."

The development of Fremantle requires it to give young players as many opportunities as possible, says Mark Harvey.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey reacts to criticism from former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas.

Thomas, the former St Kilda coach, said Harvey had failed to implement his playing traits on the winless Fremantle and suggested the former Bomber was "born to be an assistant".

"Grant should know better, than to draw analogies from afar," Harvey said.

"He's left the coaching scene and he's now making comments that you would have thought would have come from people in the media.

"What you have to realise is, where the club is at and what we're trying to do before you even make those sorts of comments."

Scott Stevens, Ben Rutten, Andy Otten and James Sellar will all come into calculations for the job of minding Matthew Pavlich this weekend after centre half-back Nathan Bock was suspended by the club.

Paul Hasleby says Fremantle's midfield has to learn to work to its strengths in the coming weeks.

Fremantle defender Antoni Grover says the team can rebound from last week's error-ridden effort.

Fremantle defender Roger Hayden is set to miss Sunday's clash with Essendon at Etihad Stadium with a hamstring injury.

Dean Solomon has learnt from his mistakes, but his natural aggression will be an asset for Fremantle, says Dockers coach Mark Harvey.

Essendon coach Matthew Knights says his side is preparing for the different structures Fremantle could deliver this weekend.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey puts pressure on his senior brigade after the club's 63-point loss to the Bulldogs.

Fremantle's Chris Tarrant has described his move into defence as the spark he needed heading into his 12th AFL season.

The 28-year-old will play his 200th game this weekend and he said the challenge of playing in defence had refreshed him mentally.

Dockers coach Mark Harvey has blasted his wayward charges, labelling their 63-point loss to the Bulldogs as unacceptable.

Fremantle young gun Garrick Ibbotson says the Bulldogs taught his side a lesson in efficiency on Sunday.

Stephen Hill and Nic Suban have made the cut to be in Fremantle's side as the final teams are announced for Sunday's matches.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey has warned opposition sides to expect the unexpected from his young charges as the Dockers embark on an AFL season burdened by few expectations.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says his star swingman Luke McPharlin is ready to go after recovering from an achilles injury.

Fermantle is preparing to scream at umpires to protect Aaron Sandilands in its season opening clash with the Bulldogs at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

Peter Everitt wants to close the most regrettable chapter in his 291-game AFL career by apologising in print to Scott Chisholm for racially vilifying him.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey has accused Carlton of using dirty ruck tactics as the fallout from Saturday's spiteful practice match continues.