Fremantle board member Ben Allan believes the club is heading in the right direction despite the Dockers' miserable start to 2008.

The Dockers, who will celebrate their 300th game in the AFL when they tackle Port Adelaide on Sunday, have won just a single game this season to be sitting above only lowly Melbourne on the ladder.

But Allan, the club's inaugural captain, said coach Mark Harvey's focus on youth this season would pay dividends in the future as the Dockers look to snare an elusive premiership.

"It's a very difficult competition, particularly to win a flag, I think we'd all acknowledge that," Allan said.

"But I think we'd also acknowledge that there's a couple of great examples of teams that have developed lists.

"And guys like Rhys (Palmer) and Garrick Ibbotson and Chris Mayne that have been injected into the club by Mark Harvey ... is almost the most exciting thing that has happened for the club in the last five years.

"Hopefully it can set us up. We just hope Mark has got the chance, and from board level he certainly has, to work and develop that list, because that's the most important thing.

"It's what (Port coach) Mark Williams has done, it's what (Geelong coach) Mark Thompson has done and guys like (Brisbane coach) Leigh Matthews has done.

"I'm more confident now than at any time in the history of Fremantle that we are getting things right."

Allan also scoffed at suggestions the club should have overhauled their list after losing the preliminary final to Sydney in 2006, saying the coaching staff was right to back the playing group that got them that far.

Fremantle's loss to Carlton last Saturday meant the Dockers became the first team since St Kilda in 1940 to lose four games on the trot after leading at three-quarter time.

Palmer, who has been a shining light for Fremantle this season, said the team had not been ordered to see a sports psychologist over their final-quarter fadeouts.

"Every club's got one (a psychologist) but I don't personally have much to do with one," Palmer said.

"If the coach wanted us to see one I'd love to."

Feisty midfielder Josh Carr has served his three-match suspension for kneeing Geelong's Gary Ablett and will return for Sunday's clash with Port Adelaide but tagger Steven Dodd is expected to miss at least a week with a calf injury.

Defender Roger Hayden is expected to resume running on Wednesday after suffering a punctured lung during the Dockers' round seven loss to Western Bulldogs.

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