News Harley Bennell - Ends at Freo in 2019

[Taylor]

And he will be super cheap to recontract

 

[peppy la pew]

I just don't care anymore re: Harley, he has blown a golden opportunity after being giving a second chance by Freo

I don't expect him to come back, if he does it's a bonus but meh

Too immature and has a problem with the booze and partying associated lifestyle

 

[maccamk]

Getting sick of the Wet Toast fans giving me lip. Apart from cash what did he actually cost pick wise and who did we get for those picks and who did we miss out on?

Was it tucker and Darcy we got but missed Fiorrini and someone else?

 

[Harry Reems]

It's a shame.
There is a good chance this punishment will end him.

He will start hanging out with his friends and family and it will be game over for him. He will hit the grog and drugs harder than ever and in 2 months he will be lucky to be fit. That's if he doesn't end up in court in that time.
Hope I am wrong but we have seen it too many times with aboriginal players.

Is Ben Cousins aboriginal?

 

[sportsmaniac89]

Dearie me, there are no words that can possible express my disdain for this so-called "punishment"

I found an article from back in 2015 when Bennell was on the front page of newspapers doing lines and a couple of things he said then caught my eye

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-...bennell-apologises-publicly-ahead-of-/6644804

"Going out, having drinks, going nightclubbing - that's one's thing I have to take away for my life outside of football."

He clearly hasn't learnt from that

"There are a few things I have to fix up in my life off-field, which I'm capable of doing," he said.

And the evidence based on the other night that he has done this is..........what exactly?

Also as for the club, is there any sort of leadership there?

"No third chances" - that was what Ross Lyon said.

This is essentially a third and final chance. When he said "no third chances" I thought that meant that if he screwed up again, he's out.

Just a debacle all round this is and now I'm annoyed about football and it's not even pre-season matches yet.

Screw you Bennell.

 

[DannyTheDoorman]

I was thinking the same thing, there's no definitive proof that he wagged training. i'm as pessimistic as the next but it's not inconceivable that the club told him not to come in for a multitude of reasons yesterday.

I look forward to hearing from the club on this one.

I was a training watcher on Monday and he wasn't there

 

[scon]

Advantage server.

 

[FreoRicci]

I'd expect him to train the hardest he ever has. Get a Personal Trainer, and consult Walters. He was on the ropes but also managed to turn it around. Wasn't he on the same punishment, or similar

Not sure if that's fair tbh. Could've been harsher. 2 months away the club. Could have a negative effect. He has to want it, the club obviously rates him

 

[jedi mind tricks]

I told you he wouldn't get the sack

 

[sansian]

Harley Bennell has been hit with a significant fine and ordered to train away from the club for the next two months following his involvement in a disturbance at a licensed premises in Fremantle on Sunday night.

General manager of football operations Chris Bond said the club had fined Bennell $15,000 (with $5000 suspended), ordered the 25-year-old to train away from the club and also undertake ongoing counselling.

“Harley has not met our expected standards and also those of an elite AFL player,” Bond said.

“In this instance, he consumed an excessive amount of alcohol the day before a training session.

“In addition to a $15,000 fine, Harley will not train at the club for the next eight weeks and also continue ongoing counselling to assist him with making better decisions in off-field situations.

“Harley will train with Peel during that period and will also be required to undertake and complete a separate training program set by our strength and conditioning staff.

“Whilst we have set an eight-week time frame for when Harley can return to the club and train with his team mates, ultimately that will be determined by Harley’s future actions, how he responds to the measures we have put in place and whether he can consistently meet and display the standards expected by the club and the playing group.”

Worked for Sonny (although a different set of circumstances)

 

[Scham]

Getting sick of the Wet Toast fans giving me lip. Apart from cash what did he actually cost pick wise and who did we get for those picks and who did we miss out on?

Was it tucker and Darcy we got but missed Fiorrini and someone else?

Kevin Bartlett called it the worst trade in AFL history last year. A bit OTT but it has turned out to be an absolute shocker and one our club should be both very, very disappointed with and embarrassed about.

 

[mike91]

Kevin Bartlett called it the worst trade in AFL history last year. A bit OTT but it has turned out to be an absolute shocker and one our club should be both very, very disappointed with and embarrassed about.

Kevin Bartlett is a joke in the media though. We went down a few picks and still got Tucker. Worse trade, not even in the top 10.

Matera is superior #3

 

[SHill Shall]

Kevin Bartlett called it the worst trade in AFL history last year. A bit OTT but it has turned out to be an absolute shocker and one our club should be both very, very disappointed with and embarrassed about.

Not at all. It was always high risk, high return. Despite this being a possible bust, I would support the club taking a similar risk again for such elite talent.

 

[Wally Walpamur]

Wouldn’t hurt to have some current and ex players like Chris Yarran or a Buddy Franklin have a talk to him about how you can throw it all away or turn it around and become a mega star of the game.

I wonder if some he will continue helping the Next Generation Academy; I could see that being both a good thing for him and a bad thing for the Academy.

 

[StingBitten]

Last chance behaviour-wise, and who even knows if his calves will hold up?

We’re looking more Yarran than Walters with this one.

 

[Allikat]

I'm amazed that almost nobody in this thread has been out 9 hours before they are meant to be at work. I have been out at 11.30 plenty of times and still been fully functioning the next day at 8.30am.

Sure I have before I got a professional job. But as soon as I started a career with standards and expectations of no drinking x-hours before work, and turning up to work sober, including random drug & alcohol tests, I did what they expected because I'm an adult, and there's other people relying on me meeting those expectations.

 

[sherrif]

So the statement confirms Harley re-injured his calf?

I could be wrong, but I don't think so. I would have thought he wouldn't be doing any training for at least six or so weeks even with a minor setback to the calves. Also, I think consuming alcohol while in rehab would have mentioned in the press statement if that had been the case. In the statement they said he was training with Peel. Again, I could be wrong but wouldn't it have been described as rehabbing from his latest setback to the calves if he had re-injured them. I read the statement more as saying he was still building towards being completely over the calf issues, rather than a re-injury. Hopefully, he learns from this. Last chance hotel definitely.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

Tendai may sack him now as his assistant coach with the NGA.
Probably be best for everyone, really.

 

[Woobla Stainz]

I remember some article with Sampi having a sook about having to take some job up north labouring in some dusty shithole.

Jeffy Farmer was our TA on the Pluto project in Karratha was surreal at the start telling him to sweep the floors haha i remember him telling me he had to pay a plumber that did work at his house with a pair of signed boots from some milestone game coz he was broke.

 

[Dockernut]

Jeffy Farmer was our TA on the Pluto project in Karratha was surreal at the start telling him to sweep the floors haha i remember him telling me he had to pay a plumber that did work at his house with a pair of signed boots from some milestone game coz he was broke.

This saddens me.

 

[VL3OJ]

I am not certain why you would sack a player at this time of year as there is no real upside. He is away from the playing group, he is contractually bound not to speak and you have control of him. Out of contract and you're fighting a media war leading into round one when your're trying to sign members and sponosrs.

Also this kid can play. Using a electronic tracker could work, a support network (perhaps not Bomber Thompson) and understanding his issues and working to improve this. You have a serious asset, don't let it turn into a liability.

 

[Steinfreo]

This saddens me.

Doing better than Bomber Thompson I guess.

 

[beetz]

Tendai may sack him now as his assistant coach with the NGA.
Probably be best for everyone, really.

Bennell was his assistant coach? I never knew that.

 

[Fat Yak]

If Bennell doesn't get shown the door now, he must have photo's of Ross rooting a pig.

 

[Crippa]

"With respect to football, we have a rehabilitation and training program in place for Harley to return to playing, initially for Peel, in the next five to six weeks. Given Harley’s previous commitment to rehabilitation and training in accordance with his program, we are confident that he will give himself the best chance to get back to playing football," Bond said.

This sounds to me like a cleverly disguised way of saying he's re-injured his calf, expressed so as to keep the media vultures at bay and spare us the insinuations that "re-injured his calf" is code for "the Abo's on drugs again".

Sure I have before I got a professional job. But as soon as I started a career with standards and expectations of no drinking x-hours before work, and turning up to work sober, including random drug & alcohol tests, I did what they expected because I'm an adult, and there's other people relying on me meeting those expectations.

I'm not sure that comparison is relevant. If it were, he'd have been sacked, no questions asked. The fact is Bennell's a footballing genius who's been earth-bound for 2 years after an exemplary rehab who probably just re-injured his calf and hit the booze in frustration. His calf is the only real issue here. It's been the root cause of his misdemeanours at Freo. Get that right and he flies IMO. He's an elite trainer and preparer. No worries there.