FREMANTLE midfielder David Mundy has endured a frustrating season on a personal note, but he is confident he can start to have a bigger impact on games in the run towards the finals.
Mundy underwent major ankle surgery late last year and suffered setbacks in his rehabilitation, missing the opening two games this season.
His form since has been underwhelming and he has had more than 20 possessions only once in his last five games.
The 2010 club champion said he had been surprised at how difficult it was to reach peak form after an interrupted pre-season, but he was ready to lift as Fremantle fights for a top-eight spot.
"I'm obviously not playing as well as I'd like to; I would like to have more impact on games," Mundy said ahead of Sunday's clash against the Western Bulldogs at Patersons Stadium.
"I feel that's probably coming and I'm starting to get back into the flow of it.
"I've never really missed a big chunk of pre-season before, so it's been a new experience and process for me.
"I'm working through it and feeling a lot better within games."
Mundy was one of the AFL's most dangerous clearance players in 2010, but his impact around stoppages has been subdued this season, with Lyon also using him in half-back roles.
The 26-year-old said it had been a frustrating season because he knew what he was capable of when at peak fitness.
"You've got to put the work in and I feel as though I've had a really good chunk of training where I haven't really missed much for a few months," he said.
"Obviously there's still a lot of improvement to go.
"I know what I can do when I'm up and about and playing well, so confidence comes into that, I guess."
Fremantle this week begins a run of four matches against teams below it on the ladder, facing Melbourne (16th), Greater Western Sydney (17th) and Port Adelaide (15th) after the Bulldogs (14th).
Mundy said the players couldn't afford to look beyond this Sunday's match and playing consistent football at home would be a focus after three straight losses at Patersons Stadium.
"We haven’t quite put it together for a full four quarters this year," he said.
"We've seen glimpses, which has been very promising, and we know that when we do play the style that we want we can be very damaging very quickly.
"It's just a matter of finding that consistency."
Midfielder Stephen Hill (ankle) and key defender Zac Dawson (knee) trained lightly on Wednesday but both are expected to return against the Bulldogs.
Young midfielder Lachie Neale, who has been in doubt with an ankle injury, trained strongly.
Nathan Schmook covers Fremantle news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nathan
