HAYDEN Ballantyne says Fremantle 'need to beat the best to become the best' as his side prepares for a brutal start to the 2014 premiership campaign.
The Dockers face Collingwood, Gold Coast, Hawthorn, Essendon, and the Sydney Swans in the first five rounds of the premiership season as they attempt to go one better than last's year's Grand Final defeat.
Ballantyne said that loss to Hawthorn is not any extra motivation for the Dockers. They have a greater goal in mind.
"We would have been motivated win or lose … we just want to be a great side for a long period," Ballantyne said.
"We want to play Hawthorn, Geelong, those great clubs as often as we can because we've got to beat the best to become the best.
"They're the benchmark at the moment and we want to play them as often as we can so we can rate ourselves against the best teams."
Ballantyne was speaking at the Dockers' Australia Post Community Camp in Pinjarra, an hour south of Perth, on a local ground he graced many times as a youngster.
The feisty forward made his name in the Peel region winning the 2008 Sandover Medal playing for Peel Thunder in the WAFL before being drafted to Fremantle.
The 26-year-old says his sixth pre-season at AFL level has easily been his best.
"This is the first one I've got through unscathed so it's been good," Ballantyne said.
"I'm feeling fit, it's really exciting. I'm really happy with how everything is going."
Ballantyne had his best season in front of goal in 2013, kicking 33 goals in 21 appearances, however he was held goalless in the Grand Final and kicked just one goal in each of the qualifying and preliminary finals.
He insists goals are not what he should be judged on.
"That's not what I'm rated on, kicking goals, it's more so pressure and stuff like that," Ballantyne said.
"That's what we rate ourselves on at Fremantle, that's forward pressure and goals come at the end of that. If I kick a few goals I'm happy but that's not what I rate myself on.
"Myself, Chris Mayne, and Michael Walters have a bet on each game as to who gets the most tackles and there's a coffee on the line every week so hopefully I get a few coffees this year."
