Coach Ross Lyon says Fremantle must make the top eight this season or the year will be a failure.

As their most important player Aaron Sandilands confirmed he was fully fit for the season opener against Geelong at Patersons Stadium on Saturday, Lyon said playing finals football would be the Dockers' minimum pass mark in 2012.

Sandilands, 29, has not played for almost a month after tearing a calf during the warm-up to Fremantle's NAB Cup clash with Richmond on March 4.

Sandilands told Melbourne radio station SEN yesterday he was a certain starter and had fully recovered from the foot injury that restricted him to 13 games in 2011.

The goal of at least reaching the finals was reiterated by captain Matthew Pavlich at a club function yesterday.

It is a significant departure from past seasons, when former coach Mark Harvey and senior club management were reluctant to openly