FREMANTLE coach Mark Harvey said giving Port Adelaide a scare on Saturday night showed the club was on the right track with the continued development of its younger players.

Despite leading at quarter time, half time and by as much as 20 points early, Harvey said his side just didn't have the experience on the field to win tough games.

"I think that our younger group will in time more than hold its own. We’ve been through a lot in 18 months and it will hold us in good stead," Harvey said after the 24-point loss.

"The more experience we get in these circumstances and the more experience we get into our younger players, you’re going to see us emerge."

Fremantle fell away after Port Adelaide's six-goal third term, which Harvey put down to the home side's pressure and his own players' lack of attack.

"Those two goals late in the third quarter there put some space in the game for Port and they were able to control things a bit better in that last quarter," he said.

Harvey added that although Fremantle tended to get off to good starts, the composure of some of the younger players rotated through the midfield was still evolving – and was part of the development process.

"We are finding that as the game goes on, we have to introduce different players who are just starting to get an understanding of the pressures of playing as a midfielder and that can cause us a few issues," he said.

Fremantle, which has unveiled a competition-high seven debutants this season, has been forced to lean on its younger stocks because of injury.

Four senior players who lined up against Richmond last week – Des Headland, Luke McPharlin, Michael Johnson and Antoni Grover – were ruled out during the week.

And injuries were giving the younger players a greater chance of selection, Harvey said.

"It does give us a good look, a good insight, into guys that we might not have played until later in the year," he said.

Harvey highlighted an injury to would-be debutant Hayden Ballantyne gave a chance to fellow draftee Michael Walters, 18, and the coach was impressed with his performance.

"He’s got that football instinct and I could see regularly he was co-ordinating a few things forward of the stoppage which was interesting for a guy in his first game," Harvey said.

"But he just needs a couple of little looks and he can sort of open the opposition up a little."