TOPIC:

58shark wrote:

anchorman wrote: Every one knows that Bennell has a problem, and probably more than one, but the arrogance of some here is amazing.
Unka, remember the little bloke that was at Geelong!!! Didn't he do a couple of years out!!!Drugs.
Also the total arrogance of the Yellas supporter is amazing.To say that the Ryan case is different to bennells is head up the are bullshit.Rememberm this is the club and supporters who boo hooed the fact that Cousins was on drugs.Also Mainwairing, also Chick, also Fletcher. there are more than likely another four that could be named as well.Fancy having the gall to take pot shots at another club.
From memory, Ryan had trouble before he went to the Yellas.
I don't think any one disagrees that Fremantle have trailed the pack for a long time, but with out making excuses, but stating fact, our club wasn't set to be a success.The WAFC selected hockey players to run the club.The only football person was Ross Kelly.
But The haters will hate no matter what the past is of their club.

Oh for God’s sake anchor, get over yourself for heaven’s sake. OH WOE IS ME.

well said 58. It seems in A/man's world you can't be critical of a Freo player even though the clown is a serial offender.

Just taking this topic in a totally different direction and taking the optimistic view that Bennell does a decent pre season and manages to avoid the injury curse that he has had for the past few years, where does he fit into the Dockers team do you think, given the off season acquisitions of Conca and Colyer and the development of the young guns that Fremantle have recruited over the past few years ( Cerra, Brayshaw, Giro etc)?
My feeling is that it is going to be harder to break into the Dockers team in 2019 than it has been for the past few years so I am wondering if Harley at full fitness is even in their best 22 now? Of course if he manages to maintain his fitness opportunities will arise due to injury etc, but would be interested in others views about the football side of things.
Please don't derail this discussion into his off field activities again, I think that has been done to death and we all know he is on his last chance.

MikeH at his best, in my opinion he is only a B+ player, he is a seagull and everyone knows they have their place in a side but less and less these days. If he is fit and mind on the job a pretty much a fixture on the interchange so that the 1 or 2 A graders they have get a rest, in basket ball he would be the 6th man.

Sensible comments at last Mikeh. As far as his future goes, I believe that will be decided Monday with the fitness tests as to whether he stays or goes. Does he still make best 22, not at the moment he has missed too much football but no doubting his talent. I have thought for the last 12 months that he won't make it back because of his calves, I haven't seen anything yet to change my mind on that. I don't even really think he should have got the extra year, once again because of the calves issue, but I can understand the club thought that as they had already invested so much in him that on a low pay level he was worth the risk for a further 12 months. We are about to find out if it was worth it or not.

mikeh wrote: Just taking this topic in a totally different direction and taking the optimistic view that Bennell does a decent pre season and manages to avoid the injury curse that he has had for the past few years, where does he fit into the Dockers team do you think, given the off season acquisitions of Conca and Colyer and the development of the young guns that Fremantle have recruited over the past few years ( Cerra, Brayshaw, Giro etc)?
My feeling is that it is going to be harder to break into the Dockers team in 2019 than it has been for the past few years so I am wondering if Harley at full fitness is even in their best 22 now? Of course if he manages to maintain his fitness opportunities will arise due to injury etc, but would be interested in others views about the football side of things.
Please don't derail this discussion into his off field activities again, I think that has been done to death and we all know he is on his last chance.

Mike...I don't think he can play midfield any more so I see him as a small elusive forward in place of Ballantyne which would release Walters to play higher up the ground. From memory Bennell kicked a few goals at GC including 6 in one game. Other than that I don't think there's an obvious spot for him.

BC, for me therein lies another issue, Walters as good as he has been seems to be a bit injury prone and also seems to me to have a bit of the Peter Matera's, spends too many pennies appealing for free's and being the tough guy, not sure they can afford both he and Bennell in the forward line.

Perhaps Bennell if fit could play off half back and be their 1/4 back off the back of the square.

Grump I would see Bennell playing a role similar to Eddie Betts...a crumbing, opportunistic small forward inside the forward 50. Walters would play higher up the ground and provide a target when the ball transitions out of the back half. He's very creative and would give the likes of Hogan, Lobb, Taberner, Cox and co silver service if he gets time and space up the ground. With all due respect to Mike's comment about moving on from Bennell's problems, I do think it's hypothetical as IMO Bennell won't play another AFL game due to either his body and/or mind not being up to the rigours of AFL footy or off-field issues. If he did surprise us all by getting back on the park, a small forward is the only role I can see him playing.

If Bennell does get back and that's a big if, he would be ideal running through a forward line that's now going to have some real height and marking power and him doing what he was best at, picking up the spilled balls, hand balls etc and converting. I think they may go three talls, three small/medium crumbers. At this stage maybe those 3 smaller guys would be Matera, McCarthy and Walters with others like Sturt, Switkowski, Colyer and Ballantyne as the next line. I say Matera because he has been playing further down the field which I don't think suits him. Agree Walters is copping injuries more these days and maybe small forward is better for him. The midfield is now a work in progress with plenty of youth coming through and the loss of Neale to overcome.

JB wrote: If Bennell does get back and that's a big if, he would be ideal running through a forward line that's now going to have some real height and marking power and him doing what he was best at, picking up the spilled balls, hand balls etc and converting. I think they may go three talls, three small/medium crumbers. At this stage maybe those 3 smaller guys would be Matera, McCarthy and Walters with others like Sturt, Switkowski, Colyer and Ballantyne as the next line. I say Matera because he has been playing further down the field which I don't think suits him. Agree Walters is copping injuries more these days and maybe small forward is better for him. The midfield is now a work in progress with plenty of youth coming through and the loss of Neale to overcome.

interesting comment given the club has been like this for how long .......

interesting comment given the club has been like this for how long .......

Not quite sure what you mean there, would have thought the midfield, barring injuries had been pretty good for several years. Was consistently rated as one of the better ones for several years. Neale leaving and Mundy in his twighlight, Cerra and Brayshaw a year or two away from potential, the midfield is being rebuilt to some extent.
AFL ratings midfields Fremantle:
2015 top 2
2016 5th
2017 couldnt find but would have been out of top 10
2018 14th

So I guess the answer is 2 years.