New Fremantle coach Ross Lyon believes there are weaknesses in the Dockers' AFL line-up he needs to address if they are to become a legitimate top-four contender, saying he hasn't inherited "Nirvana".

Lyon rated skipper Matthew Pavlich, ruckman Aaron Sandilands, defender Luke McPharlin and midfielder David Mundy as top-end players, but said the rest of the list needed to improve if Fremantle are to challenge for premierships down the track.

"There's a lot of maturity, but there's some holes as well," Lyon told the Fremantle website.

"I don't think I've inherited Nirvana.

"I really rate (Hayden) Ballantyne highly and there's some emerging class through the midfield with (Nat) Fyfe, (Stephen) Hill, Mundy and (Anthony) Morabito, and there's a few that have made some inroads.

"Guys like (Alex) Silvagni, (Dylan) Roberton and (Nick) Suban ... have shown glimpses, but they really need to be stepping up from where they are at.

""I think it's a good list (and) with a good run at it and a strong game plan, and with everyone working hard we can really challenge consistently against the best teams.

"However, I think we've got to prove that we can get over the top of the best teams. We've got to create a top-four opportunity.

"Until we can do that it's incredibly hard to win a premiership."

Lyon said he had been hurt by the criticism directed his way following his controversial move to Fremantle, who sacked Mark Harvey despite the popular coach having a year to run on his contract.

"Obviously (my) integrity has been raised at this point, which for me is disappointing and at some level hurts," Lyon said.

"But fundamentally, for my family and friends and players I've coached, I like honestly. I like consistency in relationships.

"I certainly don't associate with people who just go up and down depending on who they're with. I really mix with people who, fundamentally, you can trust."

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