FREMANTLE coach Ross Lyon has warned against comparing Colin Sylvia's plight to the experience Michael Walters went through.

Sylvia was sent to train with Peel Thunder earlier this month after failing to meet training standards. It follows Lyon’s decision to impose the same sanction on Walters in 2012.

Dockers defender Lee Spurr later predicted Sylvia could follow Walters’ lead and emerge as a leading player in the side.

However, Lyon said Sylvia was judged more harshly as a veteran of the competition, while Walters should have been allowed some lee-way as a young player working through personal issues.

Walters has now rebounded so well that Lyon said he could one day captain the club.

"There's only one common thread there and that's they both went back to a WAFL club after a sustained period of not conforming to the standard," Lyon said.

"Michael was a young player, he had to work through some off-field stuff … but he could end up captaining this club. He's a great trainer and a great leader.

"Col came over as a 10-year mature age free agent, so the expectations were a little bit higher on Col.

"Not by standards but in the ability to be able to do it straight away. So he's faced some challenges. We haven't withdrawn support, we've just put in front of Col what he needs to do … it's possible he could be back."

Lyon was speaking at the club's 2015 season launch on Tuesday morning at Perth's Convention and Exhibition Centre, where Sylvia was absent.

Sylvia also missed Fremantle's intraclub match last Saturday. There is no timeframe placed on when he could be invited back to the club.

He has been training regularly with Peel Thunder since February 9.

Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich said he had spoken to Sylvia several times since he was stood down.

"We're certainly offering all the support we can along that way,” Pavlich said.

"But Colin really needs to go back and work hard and prove that he wants to be back with the group, which certainly right at this point he's showing with the actions that he does.

"The club is here to help him through that but he's got some work to do."