"(Paul) Hasleby, (Des) Headland, (Jeff) Farmer, (Ryan) Crowley and those sorts of guys have had terrific pre-seasons,” Harvey said as he prepared for the western derby at Subiaco Oval.
“We've had guys lift the bar significantly. The whole group has trained really well and hopefully we don’t have any hiccups on the way now.”
Fremantle has the oldest list in the AFL heading into 2008 but Harvey has hinted that young guns such as Rhys Palmer and Chris Mayne would get opportunities early on.
"I learnt from a coach {Kevin Sheedy} who gave young players an opportunity to show what they are all about and that instils mental toughness in them," Harvey said.
"There will be a few kids that will play {on Sunday] but I read that we are the oldest list.
“What we should discuss is the 22 we play and if we are older than the opposition. The 22 that we pick will not necessarily be older than our opposition, but having said that, being told we have the oldest list is not a concern at all."
A warm 33 degrees is forecast for Sunday’s western derby which will influence selection of the team.
"We have to take the heat and the interchange rules into consideration when we are choosing who will and who won't play," Harvey said.
"I will see how they train on Thursday night and if I'm convinced they are ready for their first game, which is what it will be for guys like (Matthew) Pavlich, then they will play.
“We have to make sure we don’t put them under too much stress early because of having to keep them on the ground longer."
Harvey said he believed players were not capable of playing many more than 22 games in a season.
"I'm not sure how many games beyond 22 an AFL player can play in a season these days. We are putting so much stress on them and demand so much from them in training that we have to monitor it very closely," he said.
"You will always get an elite player that gets to 250-300 games but we have scientific knowledge that keeps them out on the track and sports science is one area that has gotten a hell of a lot better in the last 10 years. We are doing the best we can to complement the training loads we put on the players."
While youth is likely to get its chance in the pre-season, elder statesmen will also get the opportunity to re-stake their claims. Hasleby is looking to rebound from a disappointing end to 2007 that saw him in the WAFL, Headland is keen to play more in the midfield while dynamite forward Farmer is desperate to play a full season.
"Jeff (Farmer) missed a lot of games last year through different circumstances and let's hope he plays for the next couple of years so he can entertain the public and be a terrific team player. He's an exciting guy to have in your side, he just has to be there every week."
