Fremantle coach Mark Harvey is dreaming of the day he can use Matthew Pavlich as a forward again despite his extraordinary performance in the midfield in a beaten side against the Western Bulldogs.

Pavlich had one of his finest AFL games at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, booting two goals and gathering 30 damaging possessions in the Dockers' 31-point loss.

But Harvey hopes Pavlich's part in the Dockers' rise from the doldrums will be in the forward line despite his efforts on the ball against one of the competition's best midfields.

"He was outstanding, brilliant. He sees things when he has the ball that nobody else sees," Harvey said.

"His ability to bring his teammates into the game when he's got the ball is outstanding. Fantastic player.

"Ideally I'd like to be getting (Chris) Mayne, (Hayden) Ballantyne, (Des) Headland, (Luke) McPharlin, Pavlich - that type of forward line.

"Eventually we'll get it when we get them all back."

Harvey also praised Pavlich's understanding of his team's plight as the Dockers bottom out and rebuild this year, saying he and ruckman Aaron Sandilands had embraced their responsibilities to nurture the Dockers' youth.

"They're our best players, they're crucial. They understand at the moment the responsibility of bringing along a young team," he said.

"Everything they do as a leader and player is appreciated by me as a coach, the club and also by our younger players."

Yet again the Dockers showed encouraging signs as they kept fighting against the Dogs despite being outclassed.

Harvey maintained that getting games into his younger players would help the club rebound in seasons to come, especially once their long injury list eases.

"What happens when you go through a season like this, going forward, it adds to the depth of your experience that the whole list has been exposed to," Harvey said.

"Next year, selection will be interesting."

Harvey may be forced into team changes again next week, with the Dockers sweating on Ballantyne's report for rough conduct over a third quarter incident involving Bulldogs youngster Liam Picken.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP