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A couple of points. A lot of commentary seems to be along the lines of "finally - we've taken a risk on elite talent instead of always taking the safe option". I disagree with this for 2 reasons. Firstly, I think we've taken our fair share of left-field recruiting gambles in recent years (e.g., Jurrah, Wonnaeamirri, Clark, Oliver) - they just mostly haven't worked out for one reason or another. Secondly, I can't see how recruiting Bennell is a particularly big risk - we haven't invested anything other than a rookie spot, so it's a classic low risk/ potentially high reward situation IMO. That's just astute recruiting. Let's be honest - if barracking for a footy club was purely about winning games and premierships, we all would have called it quits a long time ago. Players that defy the odds, comeback stories, redemption stories - they're the stories that capture our imagination and make footy great. Both us and Harley are due for some luck in this department - fingers crossed he plays some good footy for us (ideally in September, but no pressure!)

Username officially updated. Welcome to the MFC Harley.

Fantastic news and definitely earned the hard way. Jones receives AFL Life Membership

I couldn't give a stuff who plays the season opener TBH (though it's BS that it isn't rotated). I'd much rather see the Dees play the season closing game

For me this is a super good deal. I hear people say that it’s a waste of money, but how many kids make a list and never play a game? The fact at his best he is a game changer. I love the fact we have taken a punt.

To me, the real feel-good story about Harley Bennell is that the MFC has given him a chance to make an AFL comeback - and I am really proud of our club for making this a reality.. What happens from this point on is up to Harley and really, is in the lap of the gods - but we all wish him well. If he gets to a level of fitness where he can play again - I'll be extremely happy for him. If he gets to a point where his performance gets him selected in our best 22, then i will be ecstatic for him. If he gets to the point where he actually stars in our best 22, then I will be orgasmic. However, if he breaks down during any of these stages, and has to give the game away, i'll be sad for Harley, but extremely proud of our Club for doing all it could to make Harley's dream a reality.

This is a great news story. There’s little to no downside risk in this, and it seems he’s positively and actively contributing to team culture and morale, and that he’s been embraced by the entire player group. In short, it’s an absolute no brainer. Geez I hope he makes it.

Actually I think we're already in the plus column, there has been an enormous amount of media attention and with it comes sponsor exposure. I think it has been positive for the players as well, whether he plays a game for us or not. If he has set the right examples then even if he doesn't make it back there are lessons for all. I'm a big believer in goodwill and you reap what you sow. The Club ethos is supported and grown by this. Don't be mistaken, there were plenty of other Clubs who would have liked this opportunity and Bennell chose us. I hope to see both parties rewarded further.

Brad Hardy is looking pretty silly now...always...

Best of luck to him, could end up being one of the best gets for the club, but if he doesn't end up playing many (or any) games then ultimately what have we lost?

Agree and I think he would have been under the microscope the whole time during the training camp, on and off the field. I think signing him now sends a great message to him that he is doing all the right things and that we are invested in him and trust that he will play for us.

Might have something to do with paying his own bills? Until he is contracted, he is doing this for free. The club really has nothing to lose. It is only a rookie spot for 1 year....and it appears there is no-one else that we have seriously looked at, or they would have been at training. He will only cost us minimal $$'s and if it doesn't work out or we find someone else to fill the Neitschke gap, then there is always the mid-season draft....

I think it tells you that it wasn't his calves they were testing but his attitude. He's throwing everything at this chance and that's what they wanted to see before taking the leap.

Clearly Melbourne knew what they were doing when they agreed to trade him with a year still to go on his contract. Some supporters should have a bit more faith in the club's list management decisions and take pause to reflect the next time they're inclined to wail like excitable banshees.

Yeah, but incompetentce is basically a prerequisite for that job, so he wouldn't even get a look in.

there's better up to date, and more interesting, reports and photos to be found from our track watchers on the Demonland training threads than anything up on the MFC site.

Hopefully he becomes a part of the 300 game club this year as well.

Dees fans - 'Stop talking and start winning!' Also Dees fans - 'The club doesn't talk enough!'

We need a MONORAIL!!!

Im not trying to be an ahole here but Im not sure the allowance covers flying the family over from Perth, renting a house/car, supporting his partner and baby. As I said just take it in and think about how much joy this little step might have given him, close family and friends. He had it all at his fingertips, he was dropped into an incredibly s h it culture (the AFL created and should take responsibility for), lead astray/didn’t take his career seriously and then has been cursed by injury. It’s costing the Dees “nothing” (compared to a Clarke or Lumumba or Rohdan etc) and you’re worrying about closer to the deadline? Not sure any other player we may have looked at for this rookie spot would have the same “upside”/feel good factor even if it doesn’t work out on the field.

Mahoney: “In terms of Harley, he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, on and off the field."

Spot on. And let's say there are 'other issues' at play. So what? Mental health and 'other issues' go hand in hand. It is well established that a very high proportion of people experiencing mental health issues also experience substance abuse issues (often alcohol but others too). To be clear i'm not suggesting Jessie is experiencing those issues, simply naming the innuendo. But it certainly wouldn't shock me if he was struggling with such issues. In many ways it would be logical as drugs and alcohol are used by many people to mask, deal with emotional and physical pain and to self medicate. Indeed this can often be a symptom and warning of an underlying mental health issue. Jessie being seen out 'partying' does not reduce the likelihood mental health is the reason he is stepping away from football (as has been insinuated by some eg he is using mental health as a convenient 'cover'). The opposite is true. And it shouldn't impact at all on the sympathy one might feel for him. Again the opposite is true. Being out partying is not a solution for his mental health issues and will likely negatively impact on any treatment. Making it harder for the young fella to get well. Which you'd hope everyone hopes he does.

My grandfather alwas said you should walk a mile in others shoes. Because when they found out, you'd be a mile away and you'd have their shoes.

I know he lives in a footy bubble city but I really wish the press would give it a rest, as I'm pretty sure they did with Buddy. No matter how much he's trying to block out the media he will still get these stories and if these are matters yet to be discussed by himself and the club this will do nothing but bad things for his mental well being. Whatever is going on with him is personal and he should be given the time a space to deal with it. One day the media's pushing will go too far and lead to something really bad happening.

Have a year off Jesse, get sorted/well... Then come home to the Dees! ps was thinking about how much structure and support Jesse had built in his time at MFC (ages 17-23), and that walking away from that to go to Freo may not have helped him...

There were obvious reasons why we moved him on for what seemed like unders. Such a shame his career seems to be turning out this way. He was genuinely one of the most exciting forward talents we’d seen in years. Hopefully he can work through his issues and have a healthy life in the end.

Jungle drums are beating, rumours flying, some claim eyewitness accounts of wrongdoings. Some suggest half of WA have seen the antics, you don't have to look far. I hope some at our club extend a helping hand, I think the lad may need it. Footy is the least of the worries.

Sweet Jesus, He is an absolute hack and is not well connected in WA, may have been 20 years ago He gets a lot more wrong than he gets right, this will be a fishing expedition because he's getting nothing from Freo and is trying to force a comment.

Get him back!

Peter Jackson gets life membership as well. Personally, I'd have given him Prime Ministership of Australia as well.

No its not. But i agree with Bob. The sort of scripted interview that is the standard AFL fare is dead boring. If for no other reason than the answers are cliche ridden and are designed to avoid providing any real insight. And whilst most demonlanders might watch post match pressers and 5 minute media interviews with players most young people won't. They want something more interesting. And different. It surely is not hard. Look at the fly on the wall stuff from the draft night. Dead easy, cheap and interesting. My 17 year old son (who will watch lo fi grainy clips of high school basketball from the states and videos of a TV showing video) who is basically lost to footy because he has lost interest, even watched and enjoyed those two videos. The key focus of an AFL clubs media strategy is surely fan engagement. And so their content should be engaging.

I grew up in that era too 'Bob', but we don't live there now. It shouldn't be too much to expect some decent pix at least. We are spoiled with the quality 'Six6Six' posts but in reality the club should be able to post similar from the camp. Is it too much to ask?

Not sure what your point is LN. For one thing there is not an amorphous dees fan that holds multiple, contradictory views. The dichotomy you express is likely held by two distinct fans, not one. As an example i don't hold to the view they should stop talking, And have long been of the view that they don't talk enough in terms providing interesting, engaging content to supporters. But in any case the the content i'm suggesting there be more of is the opposite to the bog standard, cliche ridden interview that is the norm in the AFL. That sort of meaningless, script based talking i could do with less off, albeit acknowledging it has its place and is what the media demands. Here is an example of what i mean about cheap, easy to produce content that brings fans closer to their team and builds engagement: Brett Brown talking to his team after their first playoff win last season (the 76ers post this sort of stuff regularly to their twitter feed and club website) https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/video/brett-brown-ring-bell

I feel that they already do, just not visually...

I thought it was lame. When they trotted out the footage of a handful of players walking down some steps, I thought - is that all you can come up with? The rest was for the most part bland.

This is great news. No matter the outcome, the club has finally shown that they are willing to take a risk on some elite talent. If we're lucky and patient we may have our own Shaun Burgoyne out of this.

What a ridiculous comment. Please list the number of staff who were up there, their roles, their position descriptions, KPIs and salary. (You may want to note that all the content produced by MFC from the camp was credited under one name). Honestly, having a sook about training camp videos not being funny enough is one thing, but claiming people you don't know, let alone what their jobs are, are being "payed under false pretenses" is next level stuff.

In my view, whether he plays or not, its good news fantastic exposure in the media, Excellent News Go Dees Go Harley 2020

Why? Why put him under more pressure, I'm sure he's under enough already. This will ease his mind and allow him to concentrate on his football and not have to worry every day if he'll have a job in a few weeks. Would you like to live under that pressure?

It would be very nice if he rewarded the team and supporters with this decision to make him a legitimate MFC identity. Good luck, young man.

You little beauty!! Welcome Harley!

I find the delays due to closing Brunton Avenue for pedestrians to be most inconvenient. My driver, Alfred, now parks at the Pullman and I have a couple of Sherry's in the club lounge before the trip home.

We opened the thing in 1996 and lost by 127 pints. Never again please.

Total coincidence. Just landed in Maroochydore from SYDNEY slap bang into a team of Demons. They couldn’t escape. Asked Brayshaw about the elbow. Said it’s actually pretty sore. Spoke to Preussy and wished him all the best for the season. You think you know how big they are when you go to training. Up close and personal he is a monster. Bennell was with him and told me that’s not Preuss that’s Gawn. Must have thought I was a dumb Queenslander like his Gold Coast supporters. Wished him the best and glad to hear he looks like coming on board. He looked genuinely pleased. Or maybe shocked a dumb Queenslander knew who he was. Of course I’m not from there. Hannan said groins are good now and will be joining main group in a week and a half. Told Richo Saints are my litmus test the last couple of years and I’m depending on his intel to [censored] them. He said no one wants to [censored] them more than him. I’ve seen lots of training photos of Trac looking very cut, in fact it looks like if he knows there’s a camera around, the shirts off so he makes sure people know how cut he is. But man forget how cut he is. The man is a beast. Hasn’t loss too much bulk where it counts. Huge around the arms. He’s going to bust the comp open this year. Jetta said he’s already done twice the km’s he did last season at this time. He said there’s about 10 of them who have done the same compared to last year. Said difference in training under Burgo is its a lot more footy orientated. Train the way you play. Said that’s what you want. Joel Smith said groins are all good now and he’s feeling great and has had a really solid pre season. One other general observation. In the past when I’ve got up close to the players I’ve been surprised that they don’t seem as big as you’d expect. This time they all look substantially bigger in their bodies. So looks like we’re going to see running power and stronger bodies.

Absolutely, Geelong in particular were very keen to get him while he also met with Sydney, these are clubs that you would easily have in the category of desireable or destination clubs, but we won out with getting him to the Dees. It would be a sensational good news story for us if he gets out onto the MCG and I can imagine there would not only be extra media attention but probably an increase in crowd. If he manages to kick his first goal in front of the Demons faithful I reckon there'll be an almighty cheer! But as you said the good news it has already generated is a positive for the club.

Port are fuming! ?

Don’t over think it... just enjoy the moment, I bet Harley is...

I was having to coral kids while training took place so unable to provide a full training report. However, a couple of things that stood out to me were: Brayshaw doing match sim and taking marks one-armed. Thought it was a bit risky but everyone else stayed off from making contact with him. Some very willing tackling going on during a number of drills so the boys are definitely going at it. Couple of stingers to Wieds, Hibberd, JWagner and Pickett right in front of me as a result but all got back up and continued after taking a minute or two. Lever/May are great organisers and love hearing their continual voices to younger and less experienced players. Language used shocked some of the kids watching but its going to make a massive difference if we can have both playing 20+ games and get some continuity in our backline. Langdon/Tomlinson are really good gets as they were great during the match sim in creating options to move the ball out of defence. Tomlinson is very fit despite the setback at the start of the preseason while Langdon just keeps running as well. One-on-one contest comp between Trac and Hore at one stage that had the rest of the boys yelling and barracking. Was two-all from what I saw before Trac won the last contest in dubious style with a bit of a push in the back. Great feeling amongst the group as you can see they're enjoying things despite the hard work. Burgess has them doing footy-related fitness a lot of the time rather than just straight running. Makes a lot of sense and the boys definitely look fitter and more prepared this year. Didn't see the rehab group as I was on the other side of the ground but didn't see at all TMac or Vanders. Was really looking forward to seeing how Vanders went in particular. Reckon he could also play a massive role for us this year if he can stay fit. All the players were wonderful after training in staying out in the hot sun signing autographs and getting photos taken. OBaker was up for a chat as I'm involved in his former club up here in Brisbane while Maxxy was the last one out there despite walking with a brace and a big limp. Love his work with the kids and others supporters and he even joked with my son that the injury was just a ruse to get out of training in the heat. Overall, a great opportunity for Qld supporters to see the boys in action and get an understanding of training and the support crew required these days. The buzzing of the drones overhead throughout certainly tells you how engineered and structured everything is; also the coaches with Goodwin sitting upstairs watching it all while relaying info/directions to the assistants on the ground. My two cents anyway and a big thank you to all the usual track watchers who provide their reports on a regular basis for those who can't be there. ? DOCS DEMONS' TRAINING REPORT

I really liked the interview with Petracca from the camp day 2. The interviewer gave him a couple of good ins to talk about himself and how fit he is and how well he is travelling but he choose on both occasions to talk about the team. From what I have seen and heard he looks in absolute ripping condition so he could of easily given himself some praise but didn't. Good stuff Tracc - perfect attitude