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WELCOME TO THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - HARLEY BENNELL

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11 hours ago, Docs Demons said:

. I trust we as a club have done a thorough check on Bennell and if they believe he can play and get back to some of his best form then I will back them until the cows come home. He will be a valuable player for us if he can get fit and ready to play AFL again. 

Agree. If he can’t perform no biggy, as he can be given a one year incentive contract with another year if he can get fully fit and play. He will help with membership, attendances and excitement and our place as a destination club, given he is apparently being chased by 6 clubs.

If it is a bust, he leaves with the other 5-6 delisted/traded players each year.

To me this is a tiny risk venture, with a possible large upside.

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    59 minutes ago, Domgus Petrogan said:

    If his preference is to join the club, I wonder how much of that would be down to Darren Burgess taking the role with the Dees?

    And maybe Dr Peter Brukner and Steven May and possibly Nev.

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    18 minutes ago, Skuit said:

    It's almost Monty Pythonesque. 

    Bennell states his desire to join our club. 

    We're then concerned about his mental state. 

    Or Catch 22. 
     

    My gut says the club aren’t as concerned about his mental health, as they are about his physicality. Aside from his new-found family man status, getting out of WA is a big factor. There’s something rotten in the culture of both the WA teams. Admittedly, Bennell has been a contributor to this issue, but both teams have been pretty negligent when it comes to preventing certain members of the community - specifically bikies - gaining access to the clubs. I know this was a constant frustration for Ross Lyon. WCE have been making a concerted effort to address this in the past couple of years, wit the Dockers dragging behind a bit.

    The city, as well as the club, would be good for him.  

     

     

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    At least in Melbourne he will be 1 player in roughly 440+ other players to analyse and disect their games in the papers/boards like this, but when you are at an intersate club there are only 87+ other players, so the spotlight is more likely to fall on players like him because of his potential, injury query and lack of consistant results.

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    14 minutes ago, durango said:

    At least in Melbourne he will be 1 player in roughly 440+ other players to analyse and disect their games in the papers/boards like this, but when you are at an intersate club there are only 87+ other players, so the spotlight is more likely to fall on players like him because of his potential, injury query and lack of consistant results.

    Perth is a fishbowl with only two teams - that’s for sure, but even in Melbourne Bennell will always be of particular interest to the frothing media given his checkered history. 

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    11 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

    Paywall.

    Clear history restarts your free-article count. 

     

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    1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

    Paywall.

    “The Demons are hopeful former Docker Harley Bennell will train with them with a view to being placed on the rookie list as he makes solid progress in his return from calf issues that kept him sidelined at Fremantle.

    Surgery has given him a chance to recuperate as he builds slowly towards fitness and while the Demons will not be signing him as a delisted free agent they would like him to train with them in the hope of resurrecting their career.“

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    X factor is what we crave - 

    if this works out he could set the G alight ! 

    dare to dream but If This helps us to convince Jack Martin - 10 games out of Bennell

    Im booking leave for September. 
     

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    14 minutes ago, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

    Clear history restarts your free-article count. 

     

    Thanks mate.

    My biggest worry if that if we are only offering to have him train in hope of picking him up later, then Geelong could swoop in and get him as a delisted free agent which gives him security straight away.

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    5 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

    Thanks mate.

    My biggest worry if that if we are only offering to have him train in hope of picking him up later, then Geelong could swoop in and get him as a delisted free agent which gives him security straight away.

    Switching into incognito mode also works a charm.

    Article sounds like a lack of commitment from our end. Surely you would take the risk over keeping an ANB, Spargo or Wagner on the list.

    Edited by olisik

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    49 minutes ago, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

    Clear history restarts your free-article count. 

     

    Just delete the Age cookie. No need to delete history/cache 

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    1 hour ago, deeology said:

    “The Demons are hopeful former Docker Harley Bennell ...

    Some more from the article

    "Bennell would add outside pace to the group if he could regain fitness, with the Demons having added Fremantle's Ed Langdon and the Giants' Adam Tomlinson during the trade period and losing Sam Frost to Hawthorn.

    Melbourne were also keen to catch up with stranded former Sun Jack Martin ahead of the pre-season draft but were unlikely to pick him unless he showed he was open to joining them. All indications so far are that he has his heart set on joining the Blues."

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    1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

    Thanks mate.

    My biggest worry if that if we are only offering to have him train in hope of picking him up later, then Geelong could swoop in and get him as a delisted free agent which gives him security straight away.

    Surely with his injury history, thats too big a risk?

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    1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

    Thanks mate.

    My biggest worry if that if we are only offering to have him train in hope of picking him up later, then Geelong could swoop in and get him as a delisted free agent which gives him security straight away.

    Probably a stupid question but can you rookie list a DFA? 

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    4 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

    Probably a stupid question but can you rookie list a DFA? 

    You cant rookie list a DFA before the draft, but you can select a SPP (anyone who nominates for the draft) player to be on your rookie list after the draft. 

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    11 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

    Probably a stupid question but can you rookie list a DFA? 

    Essentially, this is what is being suggested that Melbourne wants to do with Bennell by having him agree to train with the club with a view to selecting him as a pre-season supplemental selection in March 2020 in the same way as we took Jay Lockhart as a rookie in March this year.

    Obviously, as part of the deal, he would have to reach the club’s required standards of fitness and conduct in that time. 

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    15 minutes ago, Deefiant said:

    You cant rookie list a DFA before the draft, but you can select a SPP (anyone who nominates for the draft) player to be on your rookie list after the draft. 

    Thanks, I read somewhere that Geelong will only have a rookie spot left on their list if they want Bennell. 

    Edited by Ethan Tremblay

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    6 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

    Thanks, I read somewhere that after Geelong will only have a rookie spot left on their list if they want Bennell, I’m unsure if this is true or not. 

    As per the previous posts, a rookie spot is all that would be required to secure Bennell so Geelong could reach the same deal as the one suggested.

     In fact, a sign that Melbourne might be edging closer to such a deal could be the upgrading of a current rookie to the primary list.

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    1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

    Thanks mate.

    My biggest worry if that if we are only offering to have him train in hope of picking him up later, then Geelong could swoop in and get him as a delisted free agent which gives him security straight away.

    Read between the lines and I think you will find he has agreed to come to us, in this way.

    It reduces pressure on him from fans and the media, to play early, as he will be a rookie and then when he is available and has earned senior selection, he can then be uplifted to the senior list.

    It is a sensible method of him becoming a Demon, if he has agreed to come to us and IMO that now appears to have happened.

    Interestingly we would still have 6 spots on our list to fill and I note Taylor said we would take 3-4 in the draft.

    That suggests to me that we will take a DFA or 2 as well.

     

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    • Like 4
    5 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

    As per the previous posts, a rookie spot is all that would be required to secure Bennell so Geelong could reach the same deal as the one suggested.

     In fact, a sign that Melbourne might be edging closer to such a deal could be the upgrading of a current rookie to the primary list.

    How many rookies do we currently have WJ?

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    10 minutes ago, Redleg said:

    Read between the lines and I think you will find he has agreed to come to us, in this way.

    It reduces pressure on him from fans and the media, to play early, as he will be a rookie and then when he is available and has earned senior selection, he can then be uplifted to the senior list.

    It is a sensible method of him becoming a Demon, if he has agreed to come to us and IMO that now appears to have happened.

    Interestingly we would still have 6 spots on our list to fill and I note Taylor said we would take 3-4 in the draft.

    That suggests to me that we will take a DFA or 2 as well.

     

    But if you think about it from a Bennell perspective surely you'd rather the guarantee of at least a contracted year through DFA/draft than going preseason with the chance of being picked up. I think if any club offers him a 1 year contract he'll take it over what has been reported to be what we have on offer.

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    23 minutes ago, Redleg said:

    Interestingly we would still have 6 spots on our list to fill and I note Taylor said we would take 3-4 in the draft.

    That suggests to me that we will take a DFA or 2 as well.

    Not necessarily.

    With the way the list numbers work now (long story short) we can add anywhere from 3-5 senior players to our list as it currently stands.

     

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