Despite coming into the season the fittest he had been and ready for a full-time midfield role, the former Brisbane Lions premiership player injured his knee against Richmond in round four and did not return until round 21, also against the Tigers.
But Headland doesn't believe his best is behind him, and he is confident of a big 2009.
"I've got plenty left in me," Headland said at Fremantle training on Sunday.
"Before I hurt my knee I was feeling the best I ever have and I'm looking forward to getting back to that and hopefully can have a big year. It might make me a bit hungrier now to do that."
The enforced break did give the 27-year-old a chance to develop a new perspective on the game, and he thinks it can help him as he regains full fitness during this pre-season.
"It's the first time I had missed that much of a season and it was a bit of an eye-opener," Headland said.
"I got to sit back and watch footy differently on the side to see how the boys played. Obviously it was disappointing to be missing out, but I'm now looking forward to next year.
"It definitely changes the way you think about football and as you get older you get more experience and wiser so it will be good for me."
Headland is yet to join in full training with the group as he works his way back to top condition, but by Christmas he will be doing it all and he plans to push himself even more in early January.
He is having no problems with the knee , and is concentrating on building up the muscles surrounding it.
"It's going as expected at the moment and I'm getting through most of the training sessions, which is good, and hopefully after Christmas I can step my training up more and get ready to go," he said.
"I missed a lot of the year and fitness, so the main thing is to get that back up. All I want to worry about is Christmas coming up, and then after that getting up and ready to go.
"It's just mainly getting the muscles back up around my knee. The knee itself has been fine; the only thing that gets sore sometimes is the muscles. By training and doing what I do, it's getting better all the time."
Headland is now one of the more experienced Fremantle players, following the mass exodus of veterans and the influx of eight draftees with rookies still to come, and he has taken to mentoring Swan Districts recruit Michael 'Son-Son' Walters, while Antoni Grover looks after Stephen Hill.
"I'm one of the older boys now so I want to make sure I'm showing them how to train hard, eat right and if they follow that they will be doing the right thing," Headland said.
"I pick Son-Son up every day on the way to training and Groves has Hilly, so they are going well as are the rest of the boys. They are bringing more confidence into the club and a lot of youth which is good for us. Hopefully they can be 12- to 15-year players like the guys that have left were."
