FREMANTLE defender Tommy Sheridan is determined to move on from his dropped mark in last year's preliminary final and start afresh in season 2016.

Sheridan was the central figure in a key moment of the preliminary final loss to Hawthorn at Domain Stadium last September.

With just under 13 minutes remaining in the final term the Dockers trailed the Hawks by just nine points having kicked four of the last five goals of the match.

Tendai Mzungu kicked the ball to Sheridan in the Dockers' defensive 50, but the Docker spilt the simple uncontested mark and Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli pounced on the loose ball and snapped truly to break Fremantle hearts.

It was the first of four unanswered goals in nine minutes for the Hawks that ended the Dockers' season.

But rather than dwell on the mistake all summer, Sheridan said he has moved on and was eager to learn from the experience.

"It was a big learning curve," Sheridan said.

"Obviously I dropped the mark at a crucial time. They are the facts. We all make mistakes and I made a mistake.

"If I keep worrying about that then I won't move forward. It's time to jump back on the horse and start again.

"It was a simple mistake. It wasn't ideal. I'll learn from it and bounce back."

Sheridan, 22, said a number of mates in Victoria had ribbed him about it but he said his teammates and the coaching staff were supportive.

He said he has not watched the replay but knows the solution is simple.

"Next time I'll probably watch it into my hands a bit closer and take the mark," Sheridan said.

"I'm all about positivity and I'll move forward."

Sheridan had his best season at AFL level in 2015, playing 19 matches including two finals after playing just 19 games in his previous three seasons.

He was originally recruited as a midfielder but given the quality of Fremantle's running brigade coach Ross Lyon has used him in a new role at half-back.

But despite settling into that position last season he said he still did not feel like he owned his spot in the starting 22. 

"I never feel comfortable in the team," Sheridan said.

"Each week I take it as comes. Half-back was a new thing for me and I'm just looking forward to improving every week."

Sheridan has spent the majority of the pre-season working with new assistant coach Brent Guerra. He has particularly focused on honing his attacking skills coming out of defence.

"Brent brings a lot of knowledge," Sheridan said.

"For me, I'm a running back and he was a running back so I'm really picking his mind. He's teaching a few things to add to my game and a few others."

Sheridan, who signed a two-year contract extension at the end of last season, has no thoughts of returning home to Victoria after falling in love with the Fremantle and the Perth lifestyle.