FREMANTLE enforcer Dean Solomon is set to return against former club Essendon on Sunday after serving an eight-match ban.

Solomon was suspended in round 15 last season when he collected Geelong's Cameron Ling high with an elbow, earning a record suspension under the modern Tribunal set-up.

Harvey said Solomon had learnt from his mistake, but his aggressive approach would complement Fremantle's young side on the weekend.

"Legitimately, we need Dean to play in our side at the moment," Harvey said from Fremantle Oval on Wednesday.

"I don't think you can take away the way he's played naturally; you just need to curb the reaction sometimes that can get him into trouble.

"I can't guarantee that he won't get into some sort of conflict in the way he plays, but his natural aggression is important."

Solomon will return for best mate Chris Tarrant's 200th game and Harvey said his new full-back was set to line up in defence again, possibly on Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd.

The coach said he had no doubt Tarrant had the speed to go with Lloyd, adding that the prospect of facing the three-time Coleman Medallist after a lacklustre opening round was dangerous.

"I know how proud he (Lloyd) is and he's that type of player that rebounds quite quickly from a disappointing game," Harvey said.

"He doesn't take (criticism) into consideration too much. He just goes about his business and he's got that self-belief about what he does.

"He's a captain of the club – the same as (Matthew) Pavlich – they take it in their stride and they move on quickly. They don't carry the burden of playing what is perceived as an ordinary game."

Harvey also denied Fremantle carried the burden of a poor record at Docklands, a ground the club has not won at since round 17, 2006.

He said with a new group of players, the poor record was irrelevant and travelling to the indoor stadium held no fear.

"I don't think it's an issue now, in terms of getting a lot more comfortable on the road and playing at different venues," he said.

"It doesn't hold any unknown factor to us, or concern that we haven't had the record that you'd like.

"I would be naïve to talk to our group about what has happened in years gone by. That's not how I coach them, I coach them going forward."