Ross Lyon says the decision to play Chris Mayne in defence against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday was all in the name of versatility.

The Freo senior coach shifted the forward into the backline, where he performed a solid job on young Giant Adam Tomlinson.

It wasn’t the first time Lyon had used Mayne in defence. He played there against West Coast in round 7 after regular full-back Zac Dawson had injured his ankle.

“That’s all about building flexibility in our team,” Lyon said.

“Chris went on Jack Darling against the West Coast Eagles in one of the derbies and did really quite well.

“We thought we’ve had (Michael) Johnson and (Luke) McPharlin out for a fair whack and we played the Eagles (and) they’re really tall.

“So we discussed it as an opportunity to put him on an Adam Tomlinson and play down there.”

The presence up forward of the club’s first pick from last year’s draft, Michael Apeness, was another reason Mayne played in defence.

The 19-year-old did not manage to kick his first goal in league football, but he had nine possessions, three marks and four tackles.

Lyon said Apeness had again impressed the coaching staff through his effort in his second AFL game.

“I thought that what he did do is what we know he does, he competes really well,” Lyon said.

“I don’t think he took too many clunks, but he had a couple of good second efforts.

“Probably with the supply he could have done a little bit more, but talls take time and it's been fantastic that he's played two pretty much full games now.”

But the senior coach also warned there were plenty of players playing well at WAFL level who were pushing hard for selection.

“Matty de Boer was fantastic at Peel, Tommy Sheridan has put his name up, Jon Griffin was really good, Stephen Hill will be back definitely after the bye, and Luke McPharlin may play next week and be available,” Lyon said.

“Matt Taberner was down there with Peel and so was Hayden Crozier.

“We've got some pressure building so everyone will want to keep their end of the bargain up.”