WELCOME TO THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - HARLEY BENNELL

[Lord Travis 10,457]

I was told he was unlikely to get another contract, and that was before this latest event transpired. I’d say his fate is sealed now.

The club did a good job to get him fit and back playing, but it hasn’t worked out. 

[PaulRB 6,297]

24 minutes ago, Lord Travis said:

I was told he was unlikely to get another contract, and that was before this latest event transpired. I’d say his fate is sealed now.

The club did a good job to get him fit and back playing, but it hasn’t worked out. 

Maybe the two events are connected.

[Demons1858 1,715]

46 minutes ago, Lord Travis said:

I was told he was unlikely to get another contract, and that was before this latest event transpired. I’d say his fate is sealed now.

The club did a good job to get him fit and back playing, but it hasn’t worked out. 

Goodwin publicly backed him a week or two ago as a longer term project

Edited September 23, 2020 by Demons1858

[TRIGON 4,768]

1 minute ago, Demons1858 said:

Goodwin publicly backed him a week or two ago as a longer medium term project

Yes, it would seem a very strange comment for him to make if Harley was not, at that point in time, part the plan going forward.

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

This was not in the Netflix script.

I really hope the club persists with Harley, but I respect their decision if they elect not to.

Reminds me of The Wrestler. It's (potentially) very sad.

That said, hopefully the journey ain't yet over for him at the Dees.

 

[DeeZee 7,296]

There is something else going on.

Ross Lyon who is in regular contact with Bennell , said there are more important things than football to sort out in Harleys life at the moment, and probably wouldn’t offer him another contract.

Edited September 23, 2020 by DeeZee

[deebug 1,754]

15 minutes ago, DeeZee said:

There is something else going on.

Riss Lyon who is in regular contact with Bennell , said there are more important things than football to sort out in Harleys life at the moment, and probably wouldn’t offer him another contract.

I hope he is going to be ok? I hate when people think they know stuff when in fact they know nothing at all, both our media and trolls online want to dig the heels into someone; with out knowing the facts.

 

[Pates 9,625]

Given that the Wagners and Dunkley all got told they would not receive contracts does that mean there could still be a little hope for Harley? I would've thought if they knew he wasn't going to get another shot next year then the COVID breach would be the final straw.

I don't think there can be any doubt there are multiple issues going on with him, question becomes is it worth us persisting with him with the risk of relapses into his old ways still being probable.

[Thehardtackler 785]

Our team looked better when he played. I think we may have made the finals if he had played in a couple of key matches which we lost. He has to stay. His top end is higher than all our other players, except Petraccs.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Thehardtackler

[Dannyz 2,551]

19 hours ago, Lord Travis said:

I was told he was unlikely to get another contract, and that was before this latest event transpired. I’d say his fate is sealed now.

The club did a good job to get him fit and back playing, but it hasn’t worked out. 

This mail is wrong. Term's had been agreed on a contract for 2021 with Harley subject to the finalisation of list numbers not dropping below 36 (Unlikely). 

[cantstandyasam 700]

3 hours ago, Dannyz said:

This mail is wrong. Term's had been agreed on a contract for 2021 with Harley subject to the finalisation of list numbers not dropping below 36 (Unlikely). 

I'd like us to be magnanimous and sign him up for 2021. We can show the AFL community that we are a carting organisation and besides, we need players of his skill set. I mean he is such as excellent kick. We don't have many. I'm sure if it was Collingwood they'd keep him. We will be disadvantaging ourselves. It's all very well and good to say we don't want so and so because they don't conform or have done something like Watts did which I didn't think warranted him getting traded. (I still blame Jones for that). I'd rather we had more bad boys and were successful, (64 is a long time ago) than have a team of choirboys and be unsuccessful.

[binman 41,945]

4 hours ago, Dannyz said:

This mail is wrong. Term's had been agreed on a contract for 2021 with Harley subject to the finalisation of list numbers not dropping below 36 (Unlikely). 

Seems logical given goody all but confirmed he would play next year. Any thoughts on where things sit now?

[Dannyz 2,551]

36 minutes ago, binman said:

Seems logical given goody all but confirmed he would play next year. Any thoughts on where things sit now?

The thought is there are players, Nietschke for example who is showing real grit and determination with his rehab, that are deserving of a spot on the list ahead of Bennell. Although it should be noted that Bennell's behaviour up until this latest indiscretion was exemplary. Still, it isn't an aberration. 

Edited September 24, 2020 by Dannyz

[JimmyGadson 3,455]

On 9/23/2020 at 4:25 PM, Lord Travis said:

I was told he was unlikely to get another contract, and that was before this latest event transpired. I’d say his fate is sealed now.

The club did a good job to get him fit and back playing, but it hasn’t worked out. 

 

Sounds like your your post hasn't worked out..

[Lucifers Hero 38,974]

6 hours ago, Dannyz said:

This mail is wrong. Term's had been agreed on a contract for 2021 with Harley subject to the finalisation of list numbers not dropping below 36 (Unlikely). 

That bodes well.  The AFL website said they may not know for a few weeks the final list sizes but clubs are working on 38 senior players plus 2 rookies, which I think wast he worst case scenario.

As a reference, after this weeks delistings we have 39 senior players and 4 Rookies (ecxl Bradtke).

So hopefully it all works out and Harley can stay.

Edited September 24, 2020 by Lucifer's Hero

[old dee 23,486]

I had a very small brush with depression earlier this year for the first time in my life. As a result I have a new appreciation of the problem and how it distorts your thinking.  Saying “just get on with life “ is easy to say but not so easy to do.

I read somewhere that he had been told that week that his father had a very serious disease.

Who knows what his ghosts are but I would give him one last chance if it is possible. 

[Redleg 40,074]

Ross Lyon is close to Harley and he said on Footy Classified that he wouldn't get another contract from Melbourne and that he had problems away from footy to deal with.

Given that statement Harley could be finished with AFL footy.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

5 hours ago, Redleg said:

Ross Lyon is close to Harley and he said on Footy Classified that he wouldn't get another contract from Melbourne and that he had problems away from footy to deal with.

Given that statement Harley could be finished with AFL footy.

That’s a massive shame.

I thought we looked a better side with him playing.

[Wells 11 5,264]

I feel for him. Without knowing anything behind the scenes he appears to have given it everything. Must be he just couldn’t get his body right... enough.
I wonder on his miss versus the lions. Such a pivital moment. If he kicked that we very likely would have won... and be playing finals. He misses , we lose and he has never played again. Not even a decent seconds  comp to show form in.
Obviously it’s about way more than a kick he’d make prob 98 out of hundred times. But, none the less, i can’t help wondering if he had kicked it whether this story may be different.

[deanox 9,643]

Not having a seconds comp had made it very hard for him to find firm,  confidence and learn what the coaches want. 

[Pates 9,625]

12 hours ago, Wells 11 said:

I feel for him. Without knowing anything behind the scenes he appears to have given it everything. Must be he just couldn’t get his body right... enough.
I wonder on his miss versus the lions. Such a pivital moment. If he kicked that we very likely would have won... and be playing finals. He misses , we lose and he has never played again. Not even a decent seconds  comp to show form in.
Obviously it’s about way more than a kick he’d make prob 98 out of hundred times. But, none the less, i can’t help wondering if he had kicked it whether this story may be different.

I’d forgotten about that miss, I even remember Huddo making the call of before he kicked it “this is what they brought him to Melbourne for” and then he missed. It was crucial in the match, who knows if it would’ve seen us win but it was big. 

I think not having a proper second tier competition has been difficult for someone like him. Surely only so much you can get out of a 14v14 Micky Mouse scratch match. 

[Little Goffy 13,983]

On 9/23/2020 at 6:28 PM, Ron Burgundy said:

This was not in the Netflix script.

I really hope the club persists with Harley, but I respect their decision if they elect not to.

Reminds me of The Wrestler. It's (potentially) very sad.

That said, hopefully the journey ain't yet over for him at the Dees.

 

No, no, it is all perfectly Netflixable!  It's a series, not a movie.  Season One just ended on a cliffhanger.  Will he?  Won't he?  What really happened? Will a tentacle monster explode out his head?  Stay tuned!

[dee-tox 4,835]

15 hours ago, Clint Bizkit said:

That’s a massive shame.

I thought we looked a better side with him playing.

Every game Harley played we won!

[BrisbaneDemon 1,559]

1 minute ago, dee-tox said:

Every game Harley played we won!

Apart from the Brisbane game....

[dee-tox 4,835]

3 minutes ago, BrisbaneDemon said:

Apart from the Brisbane game....

Morally, we won that too! :)