EXCIITING Fremantle forward Hayden Ballantyne hopes he can have a bigger impact at the club in 2010, after injury and suspension kept the mature-age recruit to seven games and nine goals in his first AFL season. 

Pre-season wrist surgery delayed the 22-year-old's debut until round 13 and his run in the side was ended six games later with a two-game suspension.

But Ballantyne gave a glimpse of how damaging he can be on Sunday, booting three of his four goals in a final quarter rampage against Essendon.

The feisty forward pocket said he had learned plenty in his first year at Fremantle but added there were some key areas that could take his game to another level next season.

"My skills have to develop a lot and my decision-making, but also my defensive pressure, my chasing out of the forward 50 has to improve a bit," Ballantyne said from Fremantle Oval on Monday. 

"I could probably go to the next level in fitness next year and just [improve my] second efforts.

"Not playing games you don’t have the impact you want to, but I've played a few games now and next year's another year, so hopefully I have a bit more of an impact.

"You'd want to get over 30 goals as a small forward. If you're making the most of your opportunities it could be more."

Ballantyne booted 75 goals for WAFL side Peel Thunder last season and won the 2008 Sandover Medal, but the No.21 draft pick said stepping into the professional AFL environment had brought fresh challenges.

"It’s still fairly difficult in the WAFL, but I had a bit more of a licence to run around and do what I wanted," he said. 

"You've definitely got your set points and structures [at AFL level] where you've got to stay in play and do what you're told. It is difficult, but you do it for the team and it does pay off.

"It's still very challenging coming to training every day and doing the hard pre-season and that stuff, but it's something I love doing. This is the fittest I've ever been and it's definitely helped."

Fremantle's forward structures worked as well as they have all season in the side's 54-point win over Essendon.

Mark Harvey called on 12 different goalkickers, including Ballantyne (four), Luke McPharlin (three) Clancee Pearce (three) and Matthew Pavlich (two).

Ballantyne said all the makings of a potent forward line in 2010 were evident.  

"There are not really many people that can out-mark (Aaron) Sandilands and you get a few of us smaller guys getting around his feet and snagging a few goals under him and it'll be pretty dangerous."

Ballantyne also revealed the corrective wrist surgery he had shortly after arriving at the club was for an ailment that had dogged him for three seasons, including his Sandover Medal campaign.

"I broke it in the pre-season of 2006," he said. "You notice it's a bit painful but I never really told anyone about it. I never knew it was broken so I played with it for about three years.

"I did have surgery on it but it didn’t work so I had to have another operation."