FREMANTLE coach Ross Lyon says more resources will be directed towards development as the Dockers enter a transition phase on the back of their winless start to the season. 

The experienced coach said the disappointing start to the season had meant the transition process had begun a bit earlier than expected, but he was embracing the challenge.

"We might go a bit thinner at the top with our line coaches and strip one back and put one into development," Lyon told 3AW on Wednesday.

"And I know [that] where I put my time and engagement will need to shift as well, so that is all in the planning and the strategising."

However Lyon said that managing change was not an easy process and there were many considerations to take into account when making short and long-term decisions about players.

Lyon has indicated he will blood younger players if they earn selection and says it's been tough leaving out players who have been good performers for him over a long period of time.  

"It is difficult but we had our chance to mount a campaign and we didn't do that so our players understand there is some fallout from that and when you are not performing you need to reward people below," Lyon said.

"If we were 8-0 there would not have been the amount of changes or debutants." 

Michael Barlow is likely to return to the seniors last week after being dropped back to Peel Thunder, where he picked up 44 possessions playing alongside former senior regulars, Tendai Mzungu and Cameron Sutcliffe.

"[It's] been very difficult. [They have] been fierce warriors for us and players and great servants of the club and some of them have got a lot of good footy left in them," Lyon said.

"Everyone has all these theoretical models and people in the back rooms and slice and dice him, but there is a human side and there is a human element."

Lyon said as coach he always saw possibilities in players and it was incumbent on the senior coach that players recognised that. 

"I always see possibility in players and that's a key part of my coaching," Lyon said.

"As soon as you stop seeing possibility, players will pick up on those cues and it will be really difficult. My job is to see possibility in everyone but deal with the realities of balancing up the present with the future."