Harley Bennell

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The Falcon Strike said:
On the flip side, unlike you and me who can have a burger, beer hang out with mates, chase skirt (pre-wife) and basically treat our body like disneyland - AFL players have 24/7 eyes on them

Gambling is now a no-no
Chasing skirt breaches respect of women protocols
Can't drink due to skin folds
Illicit drugs policy
Very controlled diet due to again fitness issues

So all the things we take for granted they can't or shouldn't do. Simply expecting 700 blokes to be holier than thou for 10 years is unrealistic.

Drugs aren't always problematic. In fact the reason people take drugs is they can be s**t hot fun. The type of drug and administration type says a lot more to me. If that picture is of Harley snorting coke, personally I couldn't give a s**t as long as he meets his obligations as a footballer.
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That's the sacrifice you make by choosing to play AFL. Do your time in the system, make big bucks, invest it wisely and then live the good life afterwards.

If Bennell isn't willing to pull his head in then maybe an AFL career isn't for him.
 
Small Moves said:
That's the sacrifice you make by choosing to play AFL. Do your time in the system, make big bucks, invest it wisely and then live the good life afterwards.

If Bennell isn't willing to pull his head in then maybe an AFL career isn't for him.
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There are dozens of positive strikes out there, not to mention those blokes self reporting and those who haven't tested positive. To hang Harley on a photo is poor IMO

If he is a meth head, yep - move on

But if it is simply a bloke who doesn't mind the odd bit of coke in his time off - personally I couldn't give a s**t - the bigger risk for mine is you don't know what you are taking and BAM you you test +ve to clenbuterol

What would be an issue for me is the associated behaviour. If he is getting on the gear or booze (any gear) and then acting like a knob, or missing training sessions or even doing it during injury time - then that is the s**t I think is poor.

However if on your time off or hell even a saturday night after a game, you decide you want a line of coke - IMO it is no worse than having a half dozen vodkas.

ANd just on contracts being raised before - nowhere in the contracts does it say you can't drink alcohol - however they are rules often enforced by the clubs.

I think people need to take a step back and consider the level of sacrifice required. The AFLPA have already come out saying the players are extremely jaded by the 24/7 demands of the game. No other sports are subjected to the level of scrutiny especially in respect to drugs out of competition.

In summary - the bloke may be a wildling in which case we shoudl avoid, but he also might just be a regular joe who likes to blow off steam once a month.
 

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The Falcon Strike said:
There are dozens of positive strikes out there, not to mention those blokes self reporting and those who haven't tested positive. To hang Harley on a photo is poor IMO

If he is a meth head, yep - move on

But if it is simply a bloke who doesn't mind the odd bit of coke in his time off - personally I couldn't give a s**t - the bigger risk for mine is you don't know what you are taking and BAM you you test +ve to clenbuterol

What would be an issue for me is the associated behaviour. If he is getting on the gear or booze (any gear) and then acting like a knob, or missing training sessions or even doing it during injury time - then that is the s**t I think is poor.

However if on your time off or hell even a saturday night after a game, you decide you want a line of coke - IMO it is no worse than having a half dozen vodkas.

ANd just on contracts being raised before - nowhere in the contracts does it say you can't drink alcohol - however they are rules often enforced by the clubs.

I think people need to take a step back and consider the level of sacrifice required. The AFLPA have already come out saying the players are extremely jaded by the 24/7 demands of the game. No other sports are subjected to the level of scrutiny especially in respect to drugs out of competition.

In summary - the bloke may be a wildling in which case we shoudl avoid, but he also might just be a regular joe who likes to blow off steam once a month.
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Except one is illegal, one is not.
 
Id be willing to give him a contract with strict conditions for good pay if he's evaluated and we feel as though he can change. He breaches the conditions and he's gone
 
I just read that there were 80 positive tests during the pre-season this year which is massive, but not surprising given today's society.

I'd back our club in to straighten him out if we were to pursue him.
 

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AFL needs to get rid of the cloak of secrecy. First time, 5 game suspension, public announcement, mandatory counselling and community service. Second time, half year suspension (12 games), rehab ++. Third strike, you're out of the game for a minimum 2 years. All suspensions without pay. The NFL has plenty of announcements regarding drug suspensions, I really fail to see the need for secrecy.
 
paran said:
AFL needs to get rid of the cloak of secrecy. First time, 5 game suspension, public announcement, mandatory counselling and community service. Second time, half year suspension (12 games), rehab ++. Third strike, you're out of the game for a minimum 2 years. All suspensions without pay. The NFL has plenty of announcements regarding drug suspensions, I really fail to see the need for secrecy.
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Let's not compare ourselves to the NFL. They get four game suspensions for performance enhancing drugs and don't think any have been suspended for coke, They have the softest code of all
 
I'd say there's a good percentage of AFL players on 'party' drugs in the offseason including quite a few of our own so I don't see this as a major issue with Harley, difference being he's just been outed publicly. To me the bigger question mark is around his commitment to football given his alcohol consumption prior to a game (obviously if he's doing coke during the season then that would be equally concerning).

He has too much talent to ignore him and a move away from GC may do him some good but of course I wouldn't be willing to give up a high draft pick to secure him given the risk.

I would think more drug testing of players would be great and maybe even increasing testing of players with a strike against their name. I'd even have the financial burden of their extra tests passed back on to them. That might make a few pause before risking getting caught the first time.
 
I'm hoping all these drug and alcohol scandals at GC make Jaeger O'meara want to head home, would fit in nicely with our developing midfield. Harley Bennell would be a great addition but not sure we should risk it given we still seem to somehow cop it for our so called 'drug culture' . You are who you are unfortunately it can be hard to change a person, Just look at Ben Cousins.
 
Hamitoco said:
I'm hoping all these drug and alcohol scandals at GC make Jaeger O'meara want to head home, would fit in nicely with our developing midfield. Harley Bennell would be a great addition but not sure we should risk it given we still seem to somehow cop it for our so called 'drug culture' . You are who you are unfortunately it can be hard to change a person, Just look at Ben Cousins.
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There is no way we would risk it.

We are only starting to step clear of our own dark days and are bonding as a team.

Why invite a potential cancer into our midst.
 
I would be very disappointed if West Coast recruited Harley Bennell. After everything that's happened over the last 10 years it would be incomprehensible for the club to bring the spotlight back on it in regards to issues with illicit drugs.

Plus as I've made it clear earlier(even before all this drug stuff), I'm not really a fan of Bennell's attitude on field.
 
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Eaglemaniac said:
Really? I'd be very surprised if they did.
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Why it part of protocols put in place by the club.
That any players deemed at risk, have to have board approval first to recruit.

As to whether we should recruit him, I think the club is very interested but will in the end
deem him to high risk.

My personal opinion is we should recruit him, I believe we could support him better than any other
club.

WCE_phil and i disagree on him, I know his family reasonalby well and Harley's history often gets confused
with his brothers acts.Lots of rumors about Harley doing things that his brother actually did.
 
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