FREMANTLE has undergone a youthful transformation in the off-season and is now looking to a mix of exuberance and talent to deliver better results in 2009.

Assistant coach Barry Mitchell takes afl.com.au through Freo’s list and tells us where each player is at with his football. 

SENIOR LIST
Hayden Ballantyne
Had to have an operation on his wrist, so while his improvement from that's been a bit slower than we'd hoped we still think he can play in the early rounds.

Kepler Bradley
He's shown good form in the practice matches, so we'll look to use him in the ruck and up forward. He hasn't missed too much of the pre-season, so he's looking pretty good.

Andrew Browne
Has probably had his best pre-season and he played well against Richmond. He's had his injury problems, but hopefully they're behind him now.

Ben Bucovaz
Has had minor surgery on his hip, so he's had a pretty interrupted pre-season. We hope to see him playing in the early-to-mid part of the year.

Adam Campbell
He's been out for four weeks with a knee injury. He hasn't been able play in the last three or four games, so we'll see how his early form is.

Zac Clarke
He's a lightly-framed kid at the moment, but we're happy with where he's at and we think he'll develop into a good ruckman. It's great that he's been able to play a couple of games of senior footy.

Ryan Crowley
Has hardly missed anything over the pre-season. He's a really good runner but he's also going to be quite dangerous as a forward, so he's got two or three strings to his bow. He's ready to go.

Steven Dodd
Played back against West Coast and spent a bit of time on the wing and on the ball, so he's another one that can play in a few positions for us this year. In his running he's been right at the top of the group.

Marcus Drum
He missed a little bit before Christmas but has been good since. He'll look to slot into that backline somewhere and we all hope that he has a good year.

Paul Duffield
Broke his hand about eight weeks ago at training but he's been able to do all the running, so he's very fit. He's a very smart player, so it'll be good to have him around the younger guys.

Andrew Foster
Has had a bit of a back problem, so he's probably missed a third of the pre-season. He's back doing work now and we expect that he'll play a game at some point over the next two weeks.

Daniel Gilmore
With his size he can pinch-hit in the ruck, but he's adaptable – he can play forward or back for us too. Where he plays this season will be determined by who we're playing and what we need. Good pre-season.

Antoni Grover
He's been tried down forward, and he's been pretty solid with that. Competes really well and you know you'll get 100 per cent out of him.

Chris Hall
Another lightly-framed young fella. He's got nice skills, but he's probably got a bit of development to do in his body. We hope he'll push for selection later in the year.

Paul Hasleby
Coming back off that knee we're really pleased with how he's gone. He's played a bit off half-back and the wing, but he'll start moving into the midfield now.

Roger Hayden
He's been terrific. He provides so much attack for us from the backline and he'll be an important player. Has had a really strong pre-season so should have a big year.

Josh Head
Hasn't really had any interruptions and kicked a great goal for us against West Coast just when we needed it. Provides that long kicking and good use off half-back.

Des Headland
We need him up and going. He's another one who can play a variety of positions so we're hoping he'll be at his best. We expect him playing AFL by round two or three.

Stephen Hill
He's a natural player. He's got good skills and he tackles well. He's slightly-built but we're really pleased with what we got with Stephen. Right in the mix for round one.

Clayton Hinkley
He's done most of the running. Had a couple of hiccups, but another player that we hope can develop this year. He is quick and we need that pace in the side.

Garrick Ibbotson
One of the best runners over 200m at our club. We're not putting too much pressure on him, but we hope he can have another good year after a great season in 2008.

Michael Johnson
He's played mostly back, but can hold down a wing, go forward or play in the ruck. Had a great pre-season and is such an important player for us. He's ready.

Chris Mayne
He hurt an ankle but he's coming back for the first part of the season. That's progressing well enough and we'll see how it works out over the next couple of weeks.

Luke McPharlin
We're pretty confident Luke will be there for round one. A little sore in his achilles, but he had a great pre-season up to that point.

David Mundy
He's been very impressive this whole pre-season. I don't think he's missed anything and he's a very smart user of the ball. He'll play predominantly midfield for us this year.

Ryan Murphy
Hasn't missed any of the training, he's been really good with his preparation. We've pushed him higher up the ground occasionally this pre-season, so he may play half forward.

Brock O'Brien
Going to be available for round one after a shoulder injury. He's had a good pre-season and avoided soft tissue problems. Adds intensity to our side.

Rhys Palmer
He's a workhorse of a kid and doesn't shy away from any of it. He played a full game against West Coast, so we just hope it's another solid season without putting too much pressure on him.

Matthew Pavlich
He's had a couple of little hiccups early on, but he's got through most of the work and I think he's just ready to get started. Will rotate between the forward line and push midfield when needed.

Brett Peake
His running ability stands out. He's another one that's trained really well and he's played all of the practice games, so we hope he can put together some consistent form.

Tim Ruffles
Just an 18-year-old kid, he needs a bit of development but he's trained quite well. Hopefully pushing for selection later in the year.

Aaron Sandilands
He's trained really well and he's obviously so important to us. He'll develop his forward game, just depending how often he goes down there, because he will spend most of his time in the ruck.

Byron Schammer
He's looking really good. Hasn't missed any training and he's been in our better players in all of the games we've played. So he's shaping up really well.    

Dean Solomon
Just his size and his aggression and the way he goes after the footy makes him a pretty important player to have out there with an inexperienced group. No hiccups at all pre-season.

Nick Suban
Played our last three games and did some nice things – really used the ball well. We hope that he can get some games, but he's just a kid playing against guys that have done four or five pre-seasons.

Chris Tarrant
He's played well defensively for us and then been able to push forward and kick goals too, so it's interchangeable with Chris. With his speed we think he's still a chance to play defence. 

Scott Thornton
He's been a little bit interrupted, but he played on the weekend and he's ready to go. He'll probably build into his year, but he's ready to play now.

Michael Walters
He had a couple of problems over the pre-season, so he's not as fit as some of the other guys, but he's certainly ready to start the year. I think he'll be a talented small forward and move into the midfield.

ROOKIES
Greg Broughton
He's a competitive kid, he's tough, and he's developing quite well in the backline and playing his role. I think of all the rookies he's probably the furthest along.

Brent Connelly
Unfortunately had minor hip surgery about a week ago, so he'll go back now for about six to eight weeks to get that right.

Matt de Boer
Tackles really well and attacks the ball, so Matt's a pleasing pick up for us. He'd be right up with Broughton as the most advanced rookie.

Clancee Pearce
He's had a pretty good pre-season, but being a rookie he might not get his chance straight away. He's a good-sized kid, so he's not worried about the collisions.

Luke Pratt
Has missed a little bit of late, he's been a bit crook. He played against Richmond, which was great for him and we hope he'll have a run before round one. 

Hamish Shepheard
He's done most of the pre-season and is a good-sized kid. He'll be looked at back and forward, but one that we hope to develop through the year.

Casey Sibosado
He's got a lot of talent, I think we just need to get a bit more work into him – he'll improve through the season. The step up to AFL is significant, so we can't expect too much too early.

Jay van Berlo
He's done really well. He's a smart kid and he's done everything we've asked of him. His run is a real asset to the side.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL.