FREMANTLE coach Mark Harvey is glad his players are training much harder but is concerned about his batch of draftees coming in behind the eight-ball.

After believing the side was not fit enough in his first year in charge, Fremantle has employed new fitness staff to conduct a tougher pre-season. While Harvey is confident that will help in 2009, up to 14 new arrivals will have plenty of catching up to do.

"It would be fair to say that right across the board we are training harder than this time last year and that will continue through the course of the pre-season. The guys aren’t sleeping well at night and that's a good sign that they are training hard," Harvey said on Tuesday.

"It is a concern for the AFL that these guys are already four or five weeks down the track in their pre-seasons and all of a sudden draftees come in behind. Schooling is important and that's why the draft is when it is, but it leaves them a bit behind at the start of their careers."

Captain Matthew Pavlich is feeling the brunt of the more demanding pre-season training and he's confident of a fitter team in 2009, as well as looking forward to seeing the new players arrive.

"We are just focused on working our butts off at the moment. It's really important for us to concentrate on how we want to play the game and also to improve individually and as a group," Pavlich said.

"The fitness and conditioning staff have put in place a program that is very demanding and there's no doubt that the guys are getting incremental increases at the moment. The game plan is also being implemented and they are the two focuses that we have.

"I don’t think our fitness was too far off the mark, there were just little aspects that need to be ticked off. I'm confident those things are in place now and the youth of the list has plenty of improvement in it."

With the draftees still a week or two off arriving, the limited numbers at training is making life tough during team drills but Pavlich is excited albeit anxious to see what the young players add.

"There's not many guys on the track at the moment and that's making it hard for everyone else who is running around doing team drills," he said.

"It's going to be great having fresh faces around the place, they will bring a level of excitement and enthusiasm. I'm sure there is a level of anxiety to see how everything fits in when they are in place, but I'm absolutely excited about the opportunity that these guys coming into the club will have."