YOUNG Fremantle forward Ryan Murphy says the Dockers’ toughest pre-season in many years will stand the club in good stead as the season unfolds.

Speaking after Sunday night’s 17 point loss to Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, Murphy, 22 and entering his fifth year at the Dockers, says a renewed emphasis on running under new coach Mark Harvey will pay dividends.

“The pre-season’s definitely been a lot more solid this year – a lot more emphasis on running and a bit less on weights,” said Murphy, who booted three goals against the Crows.

“We’ve just been flat out running, so a lot of the boys are fitter than [in] past years. It’s been the toughest pre-season I’ve done.

“It was good to see us run out the game, to keep pushing on with no-one cramping up.”

The ability to run out the game was one of the positives Harvey took out of the match, with his side kicking the last four goals of the game.

“That’s great pride,” Harvey said. “That we had the ability to do that playing against a side that hadn’t played for two weeks - from a fitness aspect, that was pleasing.”

The other aspect that pleased Harvey was the Dockers' ability to apply pressure in their own forward half. It’s something Murphy values enormously.

“The Wiz (Jeff Farmer), Rhysy (Rhys Palmer) and Solly (Dean Solomon) especially – and also Mark Johnson – their pressure is unbelievable in the forward line. If we can put that much pressure on every week it will really go a long way to helping us come out on top.”

One aspect that wasn’t so pleasing was Fremantle’s overuse of the ball after a good start.

The Dockers dashed to 23-point lead in the first term on the back of some quick ball movement and that outstanding forward pressure, but then things went awry.

“It was working well early on; we were moving it really quickly, and our pressure was good,” Murphy said. “But we just overused the ball in the end – too many handballs and not enough kicks.”

Is that frustrating for a forward like Murphy, who likes to mark out on the lead?

“It’s frustrating for the whole team, really. You do the hard work and want to get it in there quickly and goal, and when it doesn’t happen it’s just frustrating for everyone.”

The 193cm forward was pick 12 in the 2003 National Draft, and looked to have broken through in 2006 when he booted 22 goals from 12 starts for the Dockers.

But he struggled to earn a spot under Chris Connolly early last season, before playing four of the last five games after Harvey took over.

His recall came after some solid form in the WAFL, which continued after the Dockers season finished, with nine goals in two finals for South Fremantle, part of a tally of 46 goals in 14 games for the Bulldogs.

From Gippsland in country Victoria, Murphy is now settled at Fremantle.

“I’m loving it now; it’s really good. I’m nice and settled in, with a lovely WA girlfriend, so that helps counter any homesickness.”

And Murphy is rapt to be learning from one of the best in the business, skipper Matthew Pavlich.

“Ever since I came to the club I’ve been trying to model my game on what Pav does. But you can never be as good as that – he’s an absolute champion.”