ANTHONY Morabito is starting to feel that time is running out to get back to AFL level, according to Dockers coach Ross Lyon. 

Morabito is one of a number of Dockers coming out of contract at the end of the season. 

Fremantle is expected to make some significant changes to its list at the end of the season. 

Morabito, 24, was delisted and redrafted as a rookie at the end of last season on a one-year contract. He did not play any football last year due to ongoing soreness in the left knee that he has had reconstructed three times. 

Following a strong pre-season he looked set to play a fair bit of football this year but he has only managed 10 games at WAFL level after suffering two hamstring injuries and a minor ankle issue. 

He has played the last four matches for Peel Thunder but has not seriously been considered for a return to AFL level and Lyon said that Morabito would need to do more to get an opportunity before the end of the year.  

"He's just got to get a little bit of continuity," Lyon said on Thursday. 

"He certainly wasn't at his best at the weekend. There's no doubt Anthony is feeling that closing in on him. There's no doubt about that.

"We would like to see him play. We played him last time almost before he was ready, just to give him that opportunity a couple of years ago.

"If he could build a little bit more we'd certainly look at it."        

Morabito last played at AFL level in 2014. He played three games that year having not played since his stunning debut season in 2010 after rupturing his ACL three times. 

Since 2010 he has played just 37 matches at all levels.

Lyon said he would like to play more youth in the last month of the season but won't play kids just for the sake of it.

"We would like to do it if the opportunity presents, but we don't want to throw them in if we're not giving them the best opportunity to succeed in a real sense," Lyon said.

NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Connor Blakely has been left out for the second week running. He gathered 31 disposals in the WAFL last week after being dropped but Lyon said on Thursday that Blakely still had some things to work on.