News Harley Bennell - Ends at Freo in 2019

Sep 22, 2011
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The Apeness, Sandilands and Bennell extensions were just flat out dumb list management. We must’ve been breathing a sigh of relief when Lloyd got the Carlton job.
Tbh, need Apeness now. Meek and Jones are absolute garbage

Ballas and Bennell should never have stayed. Not suited for AFL. Ballas doesn’t want to swallow his pride and play for Peel, where the wing is named after him .
 
Tbh, need Apeness now. Meek and Jones are absolute garbage

Ballas and Bennell should never have stayed. Not suited for AFL. Ballas doesn’t want to swallow his pride and play for Peel, where the wing is named after him .
Except he has played for Peel. At Peel. This year.

Try harder with your rubbishing of players.
 

Monument Hills

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I understand the logic in people looking at the long term future and questioning why would you play Sandilands, but ... if Freo manage to sneak in to the finals and Sandilands happens to be fit, he plays and gives Freo a chance of winning the cup.
His presence is immense and still very underrated by many.
(NB: Since Ross Lyon has been coaching Freo, 2012 onwards, Freo have won 66% of the games in which Sandilands played 70+% game time compared to 39% of those in which Sandilands hasn't played 70+% game time. Even in 2016-2018 Freo won 52% of Sandilands games compared to 18% of games without him).
Fair enough. I guess there are those of us who think we have a chance this year to win the cup, and those that think that is a little premature. I guess that conversation will swing one way or another after the next 5 (difficult) weeks of the draw.
 

Scham

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Tbh, need Apeness now. Meek and Jones are absolute garbage

Ballas and Bennell should never have stayed. Not suited for AFL. Ballas doesn’t want to swallow his pride and play for Peel, where the wing is named after him .

Apeness would just mean that another tall would need to play reserves! And it’d probably be young Dixon, further hampering his development.
 
Apr 25, 2011
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If we end up in the 8, a GF is always a possibility and even if you aren't top of the anthill, an improbable win is still possible (bulldogs).

Injury and suspension at the pointy end of the year are huge factors, a fit Sandi would help us to compete against a top midfield in the finals, would give us a strong edge if their #1 ruck is unavailable. I like Lobb, but he is more of a ruck/forward than a dominant ruck and Mr Darcy is still a project in the making, if we are in the 8 at the end of the year, we need a fit/available Sandi.
 

BigRang

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OK Back to the Bennell thing, if he gets back and plays this year (Longshot I know) I reckon a rookie list spot for next year. I don't care what anyone says, players with that sort of potential don't come around too often. Realistically we aren't pushing for a flag this year anyway and I'm sure if someone had said to the majority of us that we'd be pushing for the 8 at the end of the year we'd have been happy. Imagine if we delisted him, play in another GF in the next year or two or three, and we lose to by Hawthorn by a goal that Harley kicked because they picked hm up and got his calves right (How do they even keep getting these half dead blokes back on the park???)
At the end of the year we'll have Sandi, Balla, Appeness, probably Meek etc all leave freeing up spots on the list for more youth and talent, so the way I see it the next few years are actually looking pretty rosy anyway, and worth a stab at H Bennell on the list on a minimum wage. Anyway just my 2Cents. Cheers.
 

Bicco

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OK Back to the Bennell thing, if he gets back and plays this year (Longshot I know) I reckon a rookie list spot for next year. I don't care what anyone says, players with that sort of potential don't come around too often. Realistically we aren't pushing for a flag this year anyway and I'm sure if someone had said to the majority of us that we'd be pushing for the 8 at the end of the year we'd have been happy. Imagine if we delisted him, play in another GF in the next year or two or three, and we lose to by Hawthorn by a goal that Harley kicked because they picked hm up and got his calves right (How do they even keep getting these half dead blokes back on the park???)
At the end of the year we'll have Sandi, Balla, Appeness, probably Meek etc all leave freeing up spots on the list for more youth and talent, so the way I see it the next few years are actually looking pretty rosy anyway, and worth a stab at H Bennell on the list on a minimum wage. Anyway just my 2Cents. Cheers.
I'll give you 5 cents for that one.
 
Sep 24, 2010
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OK Back to the Bennell thing, if he gets back and plays this year (Longshot I know) I reckon a rookie list spot for next year. I don't care what anyone says, players with that sort of potential don't come around too often. Realistically we aren't pushing for a flag this year anyway and I'm sure if someone had said to the majority of us that we'd be pushing for the 8 at the end of the year we'd have been happy. Imagine if we delisted him, play in another GF in the next year or two or three, and we lose to by Hawthorn by a goal that Harley kicked because they picked hm up and got his calves right (How do they even keep getting these half dead blokes back on the park???)
At the end of the year we'll have Sandi, Balla, Appeness, probably Meek etc all leave freeing up spots on the list for more youth and talent, so the way I see it the next few years are actually looking pretty rosy anyway, and worth a stab at H Bennell on the list on a minimum wage. Anyway just my 2Cents. Cheers.

Apeness is already gone.
Sandi and Ballas yes.
I’d say Jones before Meeks, Meeks is younger, maybe rookie him.

I’d consider Bennell for the Rookie list if we think we can get him on the park next year.
 

Superkoops

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Whilst I get where you're coming from to an extent (unavailability, lack of games) you're absolutely kidding yourself if you think we can find a similar player of his ilk.

Whilst I agree on talent alone - you’re right. But he last displayed that in an AFL game back in about 2013.

Yes talent but unfortunately that isn’t HB anymore. The question I would be asking myself is would you re-sign him for 2020?

I’d give him every chance over the next 23-24 days to show that he can get back and play either WAFL and/or AFL in 2019. In 3 weeks have a medical and make a decision from there. An aggravation or unfavourable medical prognosis and I know what decision I’d be making.

One option if he is going to struggle to get back to playing a couple of WAFL games at the end of the year is to place him on the LTI list and allow him a good chunk of time to rehab. This would allow the club to pick up a player in the MSD (ie before the ND) and make a decision on both new player and HB in the pre-season at end of the year.


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Superkoops

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Apeness is already gone.
Sandi and Ballas yes.
I’d say Jones before Meeks, Meeks is younger, maybe rookie him.

I’d consider Bennell for the Rookie list if we think we can get him on the park next year.

Meeks would have start improving rapidly to warrant an extension. Great that he can get 47 HO in WAFL reserves. When I played A Amo’s, over the years we had WAFL reserves ruckmen drop down to play, but often our usual ruckman was much better so they were sent further down to play A reserves.


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DaveLister

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What something a lot of people in this thread don't appreciate is the risk reward of Harley.

REWARD:
He never achieved his best and he may never get there but before coming to Fremantle he was a top 50 player. The things ice seen him do at training and WAFL games recently tells me he hasn't tweeted very far. I'd be were to get back after the bye and be in good form leading to finals then we have a sniff, is a tight year and the flag winner will be the top 4 team with best availability.

RISK
Real social backlash as a result of indiscretions are non existent now. He's got a partner and a baby on the way, he's a more mature man now. His cap space would be negligible, he not going anywhere of he's on rookie's wages with big match bonuses. List space is becoming less valuable, with the ease of playing rookies and the midseason draft with long term injury list. Bennell occupies a list spot that some late draft pick up would take.

The odds maybe against him but he's going to try his best so he can provide for his family. If it comes off then it's game changing, if it doesn't then we missed out on some low potential draft pick.
 

Square Peg

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If there is a hope of him playing AFL football again, you'd keep him because he is a gun.

Hope is not the word I'd use. You have to deal with probabilities don't you to make an informed decision?

The probability that my lucky number 13 will come up on the roulette wheel is 1/37
OR
Gee I really hope number 13 comes up this time

They aren't really the same thing
 
Hope is not the word I'd use. You have to deal with probabilities don't you to make an informed decision?

The probability that my lucky number 13 will come up on the roulette wheel is 1/37
OR
Gee I really hope number 13 comes up this time

They aren't really the same thing
We can replace the word with possibility of him playing again.

If Harley can play AFL again, I want it to be with us and the last player on our list is worth a shot.
 

Bicco

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We can replace the word with possibility of him playing again.

If Harley can play AFL again, I want it to be with us and the last player on our list is worth a shot.
If Ballas can get a year on the full list, it doesn't seem unreasonable to put Harley on a rookie list for a couple of years.
 

fnerd

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If Ballas can get a year on the full list, it doesn't seem unreasonable to put Harley on a rookie list for a couple of years.
Agree but I’d still shift him to the rookie list- basically a representation of the likelihood of him actually being able to withstand AFL football
 
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