WELCOME TO THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - HARLEY BENNELL

[Gorgoroth 13,188]

Sure why not, Vanders needs some one to spend the whole year in rehab with.

[Ethan Tremblay 31,271]

39 minutes ago, Gorgoroth said:

Sure why not, Vanders needs some one to spend the whole year in rehab with.

As long as he doesn’t move in with him ala Harley Balic. 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Ethan Tremblay

[Go the Biff 3,473]

On 9/22/2019 at 10:14 AM, Wells 11 said:

Marlin picket is going to be a sensation I reckon. Wish we’d had the guts to go there... but I  hope we go there w Harley. 

He's doing ok so far !

[Ethan Tremblay 31,271]

On 9/22/2019 at 8:14 AM, Wells 11 said:

Marlin picket is going to be a sensation I reckon. Wish we’d had the guts to go there... but I  hope we go there w Harley. 

Big difference between the two in relation to attitude and willingness to work hard. There’s also been a fair bit of time between when Pickett was drafted and when he was ‘offending’, he appears to have matured and learnt from his mistakes. I question whether or Bennell has done either of those. 

I do think we have to take more of a risk but for me, Bennell is too big of one. 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Ethan Tremblay

[Redleg 42,042]

14 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

Big difference between the two in relation to attitude and willingness to work hard. There’s also been a fair bit of time between when Pickett was drafted and when he was ‘offending’, he appears to have matured and learnt from his mistakes. I question whether or Bennell has done either of those. 

I do think we have to take more of a risk but for me, Bennell is too big of one. 

He now has a wife/partner and a couple of kids. He has a surgeon saying they did something new and is now ready to go. He has acknowledged his past indiscretions and is saying he is a changed man who needs to provide for his family. 

He can be taken with our last pick and given an incentive based contract.

We always whinge about only taking the whitebread players.

It is worth a go, as the upside is a large return and the downside is minimal, as he would just be delisted. 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Redleg

[Moonshadow 17,678]

9 minutes ago, Redleg said:

He now has a wife/partner and a couple of kids. He has a surgeon saying they did something new and is now ready to go. He has acknowledged his past indiscretions and is saying he is a changed man who needs to provide for his family. 

He can be taken with our last pick and given an incentive based contract.

We always whinge about only taking the whitebread players.

It is worth a go, as the upside is a large return and the downside is minimal, as he would just be delisted. 

Yes, agree with that, assuming all available due diligence is done. Check his folds and see what hes up to on social media. At interview can they ask for a hair sample for surprise testing? Get him down to the club and see what he can do on the track.

[Redleg 42,042]

4 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

Yes, agree with that, assuming all available due diligence is done. Check his folds and see what hes up to on social media. At interview can they ask for a hair sample for surprise testing? Get him down to the club and see what he can do on the track.

He was a super talent and if you could get him on the track and back to near his best, for your last pick, it would be a great get.

[Red and Blue realist 2,063]

8 minutes ago, Redleg said:

He was a super talent and if you could get him on the track and back to near his best, for your last pick, it would be a great get.

The big question should be, IS he still a super talent? We all know that Jack Trengove was a super talent until injury interrupted his career and he never got to his early levels again. I wouldn't be drafting Bennell until he'd had a decent training block, so the supplementary period at the earliest. 

[Ethan Tremblay 31,271]

29 minutes ago, Redleg said:

He now has a wife/partner and a couple of kids. He has a surgeon saying they did something new and is now ready to go. He has acknowledged his past indiscretions and is saying he is a changed man who needs to provide for his family. 

He can be taken with our last pick and given an incentive based contract.

We always whinge about only taking the whitebread players.

It is worth a go, as the upside is a large return and the downside is minimal, as he would just be delisted. 

Fair points Red, getting him out of Perth would also be a good start. 

[Moonshadow 17,678]

10 minutes ago, Redleg said:

He was a super talent and if you could get him on the track and back to near his best, for your last pick, it would be a great get.

Absolutely. I posted similar on another thread a week or so back. High reward for relatively small risk. Still needs dd done before committing. I think he's be a perfect project for Clarko or Dimma. 

The big question I see is, does MFC have a strong enough player welfare program to guide and empower a player such as Bennell? Look at what Richmond have done - they are the benchmark.

[Gorgoroth 13,188]

We won’t do this. 

[3183 Dee 2,915]

4 minutes ago, Gorgoroth said:

We won’t do this. 

We bloody well should, though. 

[DubDee 26,389]

12 pages on Bennell.  times are indeed tough

would be absolute madness.

[Redleg 42,042]

14 minutes ago, DubDee said:

12 pages on Bennell.  times are indeed tough

would be absolute madness.

Tigers were told the same on Pickett and Stack and probably Martin as well. We know how that has gone.

It could be a bust,  but so what if it is at little cost.

Imagine if it worked. We would be seen as having a strong culture and that could influence other players to look at us instead of Hawthorn, Collingwood, Essendon etc.

Edited October 1, 2019 by Redleg

[binman 44,685]

1 hour ago, Moonshadow said:

 

The big question I see is, does MFC have a strong enough player welfare program to guide and empower a player such as Bennell? Look at what Richmond have done - they are the benchmark.

True (tgough hawks are good in this regard to) but it has taken time to get to the place where they are now in terms of a culture strong enough to absorb and shape perceived bad apples.

Easy to forget how long tigers have been building that culture. On that Hardwick can obviously get some credit but much respect must go to O'Neill, gale and their board, particularly back in 2016 when they stuck fat and refused to deviate from their plan.

[Pennant St Dee 13,413]

2 hours ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

Big difference between the two in relation to attitude and willingness to work hard. There’s also been a fair bit of time between when Pickett was drafted and when he was ‘offending’, he appears to have matured and learnt from his mistakes. I question whether or Bennell has done either of those. 

I do think we have to take more of a risk but for me, Bennell is too big of one. 

Yes had dealings with young Pickett in his younger days when I worked in Freo. 

In my 24years in the job dealt with many absolute $hitbags and others that are scallywags who've gone off the rails, especially when moving to the City from regional area's.

Pickett fell into the later. 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Pennant St Dee

[Pates 9,686]

I’d love us to have the guts to go after someone like Bennell, the risk is on his injury status and whether he has really changed in attitude. 

[DubDee 26,389]

3 hours ago, Redleg said:

Tigers were told the same on Pickett and Stack and probably Martin as well. We know how that has gone.

It could be a bust,  but so what if it is at little cost.

Imagine if it worked. We would be seen as having a strong culture and that could influence other players to look at us instead of Hawthorn, Collingwood, Essendon etc.

If he was playing good footy and had behavioural issues I’d take the chance but he can’t get on the park. 2 games in 4 years

He just wants another contract to waste

[RalphiusMaximus 6,110]

5 hours ago, Redleg said:

He can be taken with our last pick and given an incentive based contract.

Nope.  He's a free agent.  We don't need to use a pick on him.  The only thing he costs us is one spot on our list and whatever salary we agree to.  Given we have two Wagners on our list, we obviously don't value list spots too highly. 

[Moonshadow 17,678]

If I was Bennell and was serious about resurrecting my career, I'd push to get to a club with proven player welfare management and best practice injury rehab. Hawks or Tigers.

[Lord Nev 13,512]

You know what, f#@k it. Get him.

We finished 17th and haven't won a flag for 55 years.

 

[Willmoy1947 4,221]

Potential to be more important than our No 3 pick in draft...........................................................................and just a tad short of who we vote for at the next Federal Election.

[Cards13 9,117]

12 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

If I was Bennell and was serious about resurrecting my career, I'd push to get to a club with proven player welfare management and best practice injury rehab. Hawks or Tigers.

Or Geelong or Sydney 

[TeamPlayedFine39 8,525]

Stories on Bennell seem to have run dry... last I read there were up to three clubs interested in him, one being Sydney and the other two unnamed. 

Anyone seen/heard read anything to add to this?

[Go the Biff 3,473]

6 hours ago, Redleg said:

He now has a wife/partner and a couple of kids. He has a surgeon saying they did something new and is now ready to go. He has acknowledged his past indiscretions and is saying he is a changed man who needs to provide for his family. 

He can be taken with our last pick and given an incentive based contract.

We always whinge about only taking the whitebread players.

It is worth a go, as the upside is a large return and the downside is minimal, as he would just be delisted. 

If all that is true then we should get him in . ASAP and get him settled in Melbourne & on a rehab/ fitness program. The risk is one space on the list. If he gets to even 75% of his best it;s a huge win. He has what we sorely lack.

For those worried about our "culture" we have a perfect mentor for him in Nev Jetta. Like Bennell, Nev is a Western Australian indigenous man, a man with a young family and he's also an expert in making the most of your last chance in AFL. Which has to be better than Bennell's earlier examples - Karmichael Hunt for instance.