FREMANTLE coach Mark Harvey has sounded a warning to the AFL's older lists as the competition continues its push into the Gold Coast and western Sydney.

Harvey said Fremantle, which will debut its 10th player on Saturday night, had planned for the concessions set aside for the new franchises but others may be in some trouble.

Gold Coast, which will join the AFL in 2011, will receive nine first-round picks in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft and will be able to draft one uncontracted player from each club ahead of its first season.

"I wouldn’t like to be an old list going into the draft beyond next year," Harvey said from Fremantle Oval on Wednesday afternoon.

"There's three years of drafting that's going to be compromised and if you're an old list, well I'm not sure where you're going to get the players from. Hence, this is our planning.

"We know how many draft picks and concessions are going to go to the other clubs.

"Every club will be compromised because the newer clubs will be going after players from the rest of the competition and putting reasonable money towards them."

Tim Ruffles will become Fremantle's 10th debutant, and its ninth first-year player to be unveiled this season, when the side travels to AAMI Stadium on Saturday night to face the Crows.

Harvey said a horrific run with injuries had forced a number of his players to step up to the top level prematurely, but it was always on the club's agenda to expose them eventually.

"We never put any expectation on what we were doing [this year] because we knew we were going to go through this at some stage," he said.

"Next year we’re going to have the depth of the experience of these guys.

"It's only a matter of time before the whole list grows, gets more mature, gets more experience and then things will start to turn."

Hayden Ballantyne had a modest debut against Collingwood in round 13 but came to the fore against the Blues last week, booting three goals.

"I like to talk up players that I think have got good potential and he's only played his third game for the whole year (including one WAFL game)," Harvey said.

"He's lively, and he brings the excitement to the team that you look for.

"He challenges the opposition when they need to be challenged too and he puts that forward pressure on that we’ve been lacking – he's like one of those little chihuahuas."

Harvey said forward Chris Mayne would play in the WAFL reserves this week after a long lay-off with stress fractures.

The coach added that Michael Johnson's recovery from ankle surgery over the next six weeks would determine whether he played again this season.