Fremantle senior coach Justin Longmuir says midfielder Hayden Young will benefit greatly from his time spent in the coaches’ box on game day as he recovers from his hamstring injury.

Young has sat in the coaching box on game day since Round 11, with Longmuir revealing in his Thursday morning media conference that the 24-year-old has worked closely with midfield coach Joel Corey during this time.

“Part of Youngy’s focus that he’s driven while being sidelined from play, is to spend more time in the coaches’ box and spend some time with Joel Corey,” Longmuir said.

“He’s been understanding game situations, especially around centre-bounce stoppages and those types of things to try and build his capacity.”

Speaking on 96FM on Wednesday, Young said the move was made to ensure he continued learning and evolving as a midfielder during his lengthy rehabilitation.

“I’ve been sitting in the coaches’ box for probably the past eight weeks, which has been helpful,” Young said.

“They came to me after my injury, and because it was long-term they wanted to keep me engaged and involved in the group. It’s been really beneficial.”

Longmuir confirmed that the team would not rush Young back into the side as the race for finals heats up, saying all options remained on the table regarding his return.

“He’s still got some boxes to tick, and it’s great to see that when players come to the end of their rehab, they want to get out there and get going,” Longmuir said.

“But it’s about making sure he’s ready to finish off the year really well - and once he gets back, we keep him back,” Longmuir said.

“There’s still a bit of conditioning work to do.

“He’s missed a lot of footy, so we’ll see how the team shapes up next week.

“All options are on the table. We’ll see how he gets through these last couple of good sessions and whether we can squeeze him into the 22, as the substitute, or if he has to go through Peel.

“It will be guided a little by the fitness staff and what they think is best for his build.”

Fremantle face the fifth-placed Hawthorn at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, in a clash that could see Fremantle draw level on premiership points with the Hawks with a win. Longmuir saying at his media conference that finals-like footy was something to embrace.

“That’s what you get at this time of the year,” Longmuir said.

“There will be eight or nine other clubs in a similar position - maybe even more - Sydney are fighting for their season as well, and maybe Port Adelaide and some of these clubs.

“You have to deal with that. The outcome-based talk and noise becomes really loud at this time of year, and what we’ve got to be really good at is making sure we remain process-oriented.

“Focus on winning the day, winning each minute, and winning each training session, and making sure we prepare really well.”

Fremantle and Hawthorn will bounce down at 6.10pm WST, with a special half-time farewell lap of honour taking place for Club legend Michael Walters.