2020 Player Reviews: #17 Harley Bennell

Put in a tremendous effort just to get on the field and play five games after overcoming recurring calf issues and he was on the verge of receiving a contract offer for next year when he left the club’s hub in breach of Covid19 rules and consequently was delisted.

Date of Birth: 2 October, 1992

Height: 185cm

Weight: 74kg

Games MFC 2020: 5

Career Total: 88

Goals MFC 2020: 3

Career Total: 98

Only had to behave himself for another 24 hours & he would have been fine.

One of the great disappointments of 2020, especially concerning the time effort and money put into his rehabilitation! Again, most disappointing!

An absolute bomb of an investment. Didn't play well in any games except for some glimpses in the NSW hub games.

If we did re-sign for next year, he wouldn't be in my best 22.

Good on us for supporting him but I can't see any more left field selections for a while.

Makes you sad this one. Will never fully know what happened during the season and why he couldn't get more games but it sounded like he was progressing well enough to earn another deal until, well yeah. 

Don't think we will hear anything about what's going on here one way or the other until we do....why did i say that?

Hope for Harleys sake and his family things work out 

He thought he wanted an AFL career but as it turned out that didn’t seem to be the no1 priority 

I hope his priorities are in the right order - hopefully if it’s not footy and family first  then it’s family first and anything else a distant second 

Every punter has their share of 'busts'.  We took a punt on a long-shot and it failed to deliver.  Well done Dees for giving Harley another shot in a field where he had previously excelled!  It might have been a 'masterstroke' for all parties. 

Tough times ahead for Harley and his family, I'd imagine.  Hope he manages to fight off his inner 'demons'.

 

Edited November 17, 20205 yr by Deeoldfart

On 11/13/2020 at 10:54 AM, Dee Dee said:

One of the great disappointments of 2020, especially concerning the time effort and money put into his rehabilitation! Again, most disappointing!

Given everything that has gone on in 2020, I'm hoping the decision to pick up HB is well down your list of great disappointments?

Really had my hopes up for Harley. Good luck to him and his lovely family. Keep battling and maybe with maturity and time his inner demons will give him a break.

Sad end to what looked like it could be a promising new beginning. Obviously it's a private matter but it would still be interesting to know what triggered his getting on the booze when for the most it sounds like he did everything that was expected of him and was seemingly quite well liked by his teammates.

Whatever happens with him I hope he's able to get himself right for his family, I imagine he's got a long difficult battle ahead.

(I still can't help but wonder whether things would have turned out better for him if he'd managed to have a full season is a normal AFL environment rather than the COVID bubble)

We took a punt that cost us little and ultimately delivered nothing, so we move on.

I hope Harley doesn't sit back in a few years and think what might have been if he had been able to see this season through.

1 hour ago, poita said:

We took a punt that cost us little and ultimately delivered nothing, so we move on.

I hope Harley doesn't sit back in a few years and think what might have been if he had been able to see this season through.

Cost us 50 grand and that was after he wasn't playing again. I personally wanted to give the Filth Backman a go, wished we choose him instead of Bennell. P.s not that I know 5hit from me elbow tho. And don't claim to, only my opinion. 

Wretched way to end his career. Slogged his guts out to get back to AFL level for it all to fall apart at the death. I was highly critical at the time but have more sympathy knowing the full circumstances. Hope HB can find contentment in retirement.

Credit to Burgess and his team for getting him back to fitness. Alas it didn’t work out but nothing ventured nothing gained. Didn’t cost us too much. The potential upside justified the punt imv.

Seemed to be running half paced the whole time, hard to tell whether it was effort or just the cooked calves. Great skills though

9 hours ago, Elegt said:

Seemed to be running half paced the whole time, hard to tell whether it was effort or just the cooked calves. Great skills though

I reckon it was hesitation due to mental scarring.  When he didn't have time to think of the consequences, he still showed he had his freakish ability.  Same it was only 2 or 3 times a game, rather than 20.

People are complaining about the waste of money it was - it would've been bugger all.

I'm glad the club took the punt.  Didn't work out, we move on basically unscathed.