Harley Bennell.

[Bornadog]

Re: Harley Bennell.

Whatever the case, he has done a stupid thing and the penalty has been applied.

Would be ashame for him if he wasn't offered another contract as it appears in general he has settled down a bit with wife and baby.

[GVGjr]

Re: Harley Bennell.

I dont buy it. Surely you can't have gotten to mid Sept in the hub and not understood the rules.

Melbourne wouldn't have been so quick at accepting of a 4 week penalty and 50K fine without there being a compelling breach
It now comes down if it will impact their view on him for another 12 month contract offer

[Twodogs]

Re: Harley Bennell.

Melbourne wouldn't have been so quick at accepting of a 4 week penalty and 50K fine without there being a compelling breach
It now comes down if it will impact their view on him for another 12 month contract offer

As a matter of interest is his sanction a club or AFL sanction?

[Bornadog]

Re: Harley Bennell.

As a matter of interest is his sanction a club or AFL sanction?

AFL - all Covid 19 breaches are

[Twodogs]

Re: Harley Bennell.

AFL - all Covid 19 breaches are

Cheers for that. So do Melbourne or Harley pay the fine? I assume it's Melbourne.

[GVGjr]

Re: Harley Bennell.

Cheers for that. So do Melbourne or Harley pay the fine? I assume it's Melbourne.

Both should. Melbourne have accepted the 50K fine and the AFL warned players a few weeks back that would receive a 10K fine

[Twodogs]

Re: Harley Bennell.

Both should. Melbourne have accepted the 50K fine and the AFL warned players a few weeks back that would receive a 10K fine

That's a fair chunk of his wage on a rookie contract.

[GVGjr]

Re: Harley Bennell.

This from the age. It's just getting harder to defend him

Gold Coast veteran Jarrod Harbrow turned away Harley Bennell after the Melbourne player rocked up at his former teammate's home on Saturday.

Sources close to the situation confirmed that Bennell drove from the Demons' hub on the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast where he attempted to enter Harbrow's residence. Harbrow declined to allow Bennell into his house. Had Harbrow done so, he would have been breaching the AFL's coronavirus protocols.

Harbrow contacted the Suns, who in turn told the league. Harbrow and Gold Coast have been cleared of any wrongdoing by the AFL, and there is no suggestion Harbrow broke any rules.

Barred by Harbrow, Bennell then went to a second venue. Bennell's actions in totality led the AFL to suspend him for four matches and fine Melbourne $50,000, which will come out of the Demons' 2021 football department soft cap.

Bennell, who turns 28 early next month, has played five senior games for Melbourne this year after being signed by the Demons as a pre-season supplemental selection period rookie pick. The midfielder/forward is out-of-contract and while the Dees are yet to formalise his future, there are grave doubts as to whether his AFL career will continue.

The West Australian had been given his third AFL chance by Melbourne after playing 81 games for Gold Coast - who took him as the No. 2 selection in the 2010 draft - and then two matches in four years for Fremantle where he struggled with injury and off-field issues.

Acutely aware of his chequered history before joining the club, Melbourne had been impressed with Bennell's behaviour until recently, suggesting that he had largely acted in an exemplary manner.

Harbrow, 32, is the Suns' games record-holder and had mentored many of the club's Indigenous players over the past decade. Bennell, who is also Indigenous, played alongside Harbrow for five years between 2011 and 2015. Harbrow had 10 disposals in his side's heavy loss to Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Bennell's breach follows a June incident in which Melbourne pair Kozzy Pickett and Charlie Spargo broke the league's COVID-19 rules by travelling in an Uber. This was before the Demons left Victoria as part of the AFL's exodus from the state.

Bennell remains away from the rest of the Melbourne group after the Demons' season was ended by the Western Bulldogs' win over Fremantle in Cairns on Sunday night. Where Bennell heads next remains to be seen, with the AFL determining that the Demon be sent home "as soon as possible" following his breach.

The Dees have a host of other out-of-contract players including Bennell's fellow SSP recruit Mitch Brown, who finished the season in the club's senior side and took 13 marks in a 20-disposal game against his former club Essendon on Saturday.

Former captains Nathan Jones and Jack Viney and speedster Jayden Hunt are among the other Dees whose futures are yet to be clarified by the club.

Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert condemned Bennell in a statement on Sunday night.

"This is a selfish act by Harley, and a clear breach of the AFL's protocols," Pert said.

"He has made a very poor decision, which is incredibly disappointing. He has not only put himself, his teammates and the competition at risk, but he has failed to live up to the values of the Melbourne Football Club."

[Twodogs]

Re: Harley Bennell.

I got home from work a while ago and had to throw a relative out of the house who'd turned up while I wasn't there. I can tell you it's not a good situation for anybody.

[Bornadog]

Re: Harley Bennell.

Looks like he won't be getting a new contract with Melbourne

[Grantysghost]

Re: Harley Bennell.

Looks like he won't be getting a new contract with Melbourne

Yep he's done. "Retired".

[GVGjr]

Re: Harley Bennell.

It's a shame that the injuries and a few distractions have curtailed what could have been an excellent career

Hopefully he won't be lost to football and he might find someone at the state level

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Harley Bennell.

It's a shame that the injuries and a few distractions have curtailed what could have been an excellent career

Hopefully he won't be lost to football and he might find someone at the state level

Easy to forget how talented he was. He could have been a top 10 player in the comp if it wasn't for injuries.

[Axe Man]

Re: Harley Bennell.

It's a shame that the injuries and a few distractions have curtailed what could have been an excellent career

Hopefully he won't be lost to football and he might find someone at the state level

His calves tear thinking about playing football. Not sure he would bother at a lower level.

[Mofra]

Re: Harley Bennell.

Hospitalised.

https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/harley-bennell-hospitalised-hours-after-announcing-afl-retirement-c-1349741?fbclid=IwAR0E9QjVb9fVkgVhQwMR6wR09NWFe6RC0ZrbafzNmTNTGayfoLtNc221Aug

Having a really bad month.