Speaking after his side's 31-point loss against the Western Bulldogs at Docklands on Saturday, Harvey was adamant his group, which has unveiled 11 debutants this year, is heading towards a bright future.
"We think occasionally we're going to have a problem with a young team, taking it around Australia," he said.
"We'd like to think that we could challenge most sides and evidence of it today, we can.
"But not getting close enough is an issue for us. We always build our games up to winning no matter where we are, so I don't have to talk about tanking."
Harvey said his side's lack of maturity, with players lacking core strength, meant it would be inconsistent at this stage of its development, but the continual blooding of youngsters would only benefit in the long run.
"Next year it adds to the depth of your experience [and nearly] your whole list has been exposed to playing AFL," he said.
"Next year selection will be interesting."
Harvey couldn't speak highly enough of skipper Matthew Pavlich, who picked up 30 disposals (14 contested) and kicked two goals.
"I thought he was outstanding. I thought he was brilliant. He sees things when he has the ball that no other player sees," he said of Pavlich, who started in the midfield and also spent time forward.
"His ability to bring his teammate into the game when he's got the ball is outstanding. He is a fantastic player."
Ideally Harvey would like to play Pavlich up forward with Luke McPharlin, Des Headland, Chris Mayne and Hayden Ballantyne when all five players are all up and running.
Harvey also praised the efforts of big man Kepler Bradley, the return of Mayne for his first match for the season after a shin injury and the bullish style of small forward Ballantyne. He conceded that midfielder Paul Hasleby (13 disposals) had a quiet day.
And he acknowledged the efforts of first-year rookie Greg Broughton, who notched up a career-best 33 disposals in just his 10th match. The coach said the defender had become a cult figure in fantasy football competitions.
"People keep coming up and telling me: 'Keep doing what you're doing with Broughton', [but] I don't want him to be the fantasy player," Harvey said with a smile.
"He's one of those stories you see where a kid has been overlooked as an 18- or 19-year-old and he's come of age at 20 or 21. He's really stable back there and plays with all of the courage and tenacity you look for in a player.
"He'll be all the better for this season, knowing he'll do a full pre-season next year."
Harvey also praised Bulldog skipper Brad Johnson on his club record 342 matches.
"He's a good character and he's been an outstanding role model for the game and has been durable," he said.
Harvey also said he spoke to a Bulldog official on the boundary line during the final term to tell him that Fremantle would acknowledge Johnson with a guard of honour post-match.
"I did [nearly get into trouble]. I got told to get in my box, if you know what I mean," Harvey said with a laugh.
"I didn't even think about that, I was just trying to do the right thing.
