Former Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy says Fremantle coach Mark Harvey must be ruthless with the underperforming Dockers and weed out players who lack the hunger to perform.

Harvey, who was both a premiership player and assistant coach under Sheedy at the Bombers, is having a tough initiation to his senior coaching career.

After taking over the Fremantle reins from Chris Connolly late last season, he has guided the Dockers to just one win in the first seven rounds this year.

They hit their lowest point when they gave up a 51-point lead to lose to bottom-placed Melbourne on Sunday.

But four-time premiership coach Sheedy said his own experience showed a slow start to a coaching career did not necessarily mean much.

"I lost five of my first six games, all I know is I had a fairly good career after I lost five of my first six," Sheedy said.

"I didn't get off to a really good percentage win-loss ratio.

"All you do is say to the young coaches coming into their first year or two, hang in there."

He said Harvey and other new coaches should not be shy about booting players out if they did not have the necessary competitive traits.

"If you've got to make tough, ruthless, hard decisions then don't hesitate," Sheedy said.

"You want a hungry team, then go for the hungriest players you've got in your club.

"Anyone else, either lift your performance, not only Fremantle but any club, put your best performance up or you won't have a long career, simple as that."

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