FREMANTLE coach Mark Harvey has forecast some interesting developments in his forward line and at least two changes ahead of Saturday's clash with the Western Bulldogs.
Des Headland is available for selection, while youngster Chris Mayne is on the verge of jumping from WAFL reserves to play his first AFL game this season.
With the Bulldogs boasting a number of damaging rebounding defenders, Harvey said bringing in a pressure forward like Mayne would be a big point of discussion at selection this week.
The 20-year-old has played three games at WAFL reserves level after missing the majority of the season with stress fractures in his foot.
"I think everyone's forgotten about Mayne," Harvey said from East Fremantle Oval on Wednesday. "I thought he had as much impact or probably wasn't far behind Rhys [Palmer] last year.
"He played in a different position, but we think he can be a very good player long term."
Harvey forecast two to three changes and said he needed to recall some experience after fielding nine first-year players against West Coast last week.
Mayne played 17 games in his debut season, while the experienced Headland trained strongly on Wednesday and is ready to resume after missing the last three matches with a hamstring injury.
Byron Schammer is still battling a calf injury and won't play while Brett Peake (ankle) is rated a 50/50 chance by the coach.
"The guys that have played at this level – they're the guys that you're looking at [bringing in]," Harvey said.
"You go on the road with the amount of young players that we've got, it's very difficult. We've probably got to bring back a little bit of experience."
Fremantle trained on a shortened East Fremantle Oval on Wednesday, and Harvey said the move was designed to get the players in some unfamiliar surroundings ahead of their trip to Docklands – a ground the club hasn't won at since round 17, 2006.
"Hopefully the players adapt to the in-closeness of that type of ground," the coach said. "But [Docklands] is a quick ground – we can't simulate that."
Despite its poor record at Docklands, Harvey said his side would travel east confident after a five-point western derby win.
"With a side like the Bulldogs they've obviously got the finals and they're looking ahead, they're looking to develop and they're looking to close down any deficiencies they’ve got," he said.
"We're going to play the way that we have been over the last period of time. We'll back ourselves in with an understanding of how good the Bulldogs are in certain aspects of their game.
"On the back of winning against West Coast, confidence means an enormous amount in this game and [we] take that into this game."
