Fremantle coach Ross Lyon will hand club debuts to Cam McCarthy, Bradley Hill, Joel Hamling and Shane Kersten when the Dockers host Geelong on Sunday.
“The aim is to put it together straight away, but it’s a work in progress,” Lyon said.
“It’s not going to be perfect. But again we’ve worked really hard.
“Under the fierce cauldron of an AFL game, there’s nothing that can substitute for that, and I’m sure we’ll learn some lessons and look to improve.
“Those four (new signings) will play, so it’s exciting for us.”
After failing to play at AFL level in 2016, McCarthy has hit the ground running with the Dockers since joining the club, culminating in his six-goal performance against Carlton in their final JLT Series match.
“Confidence is built by action, (and McCarthy) did all the hard work over summer,” Lyon said.
“He didn’t miss a session, and on all the metrics that get thrown around these days, he was high consistently. That gave him the best opportunity to perform well.”
“(Kicking six goals) certainly will make him feel good about himself but I loved Cam’s article over the weekend,” Lyon said.
“(Cam said) I’m no-one’s saviour, I’m here to play my role and I’m not going to do that every week…but it certainly builds belief.”
“He’s got capabilities to grow. He’s only a young man, he’s played a handful of AFL games really and he’s only 21. There’s plenty of growth in him.”
