Monday, 18 February 2019:
 | | HARLEY BENNELL of the Dockers handballs during the 2016 NAB Challenge match between the Fremantle Dockers and the Geelong Cats at Domain Stadium in Perth, Australia. | |
|
Will Harley Bennell make it back to the AFL stage again?
Bennell's hopes of playing early this season are already in tatters after suffering two calf injuries in as many weeks.
The first occurred earlier this month, with Fremantle putting Bennell on a modified training program after the injury.
But Bennell suffered another setback on Monday when he strained his left calf while training away from the main group at the club's headquarters.
Fremantle football operations manager Peter Bell says Bennell would undergo scans to determine the extent of the latest injury.
Bennell has been plagued by calf issues in his three-and-a-half year stint at Fremantle, notching just two AFL games during that stretch.
The 26-year-old was considered lucky by outsiders to be handed another one-year extension last season. Bennell's hopes of making it back onto the AFL stage appear to be dwindling.
Bennell made a name for himself at Gold Coast as a line-breaking midfielder, who also averaged more than a goal per game for the Suns.
His long list of off-field misdemeanours meant the Suns were more than happy to trade him when Fremantle came knocking at the end of 2015.
Bennell's time at the Dockers has also been littered with off-field issues, but it is his calf woes that have his career at the crossroads.
Last year, Bennell worked with a ballet physiotherapist to try to find an out-of-the-box fix to his calf issues.
The early results appeared good, with Bennell playing 11 games in 2018 for WAFL side Peel Thunder.
Dockers coach Ross Lyon was planning to use Bennell this year in a forward role.
But the recent double setback means Bennell faces an uphill battle to make it back onto the AFL park.
