The AFL comeback of prized Dockers recruit Harley Bennell in 2018 is in serious doubt after the 25-year-old suffered another calf strain at a training session with alignment club Peel Thunder.
Bennell had a scan yesterday with a subsequent report confirming a grade one tear in an area of his left calf, leaving him in serious doubt for Fremantle's opening stanza of the new football season.
Fremantle said Bennell's latest setback was unrelated to previous calf injuries the troubled midfielder has struggled to overcome since debuting for the Gold Coast in 2011.
Bennell will undertake a 21-day recovery program and continue to train with Peel while carrying the minor calf strain.
The Dockers signed the high-profile recruit to much fanfare, despite his recurring issues, during the 2015 trade period, before Bennell injured his calf in his Peel's first match of 2016 and subsequently missed the entire season for Freo.
He made a long-awaited return to AFL action for the Dockers in round 22 last year against eventual premiers Richmond, thrilling Freo fans with two first-term goals.
But the WA product, who was recruited from Peel by the Gold Coast, was recently banished to his original WAFL club after an incident at a Fremantle bar last month, one of many indiscretions off the field that have also hindered his career.
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SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
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