Harley Bennell’s hopes of making an AFL return later this month have been dealt a huge blow after the Fremantle midfielder suffered yet another calf setback.
Bennell, playing his fourth WAFL match after recovering from a pre-season calf problem, failed to take to the field after half-time of Peel’s 11-point win over Claremont on Saturday.
Fremantle said Bennell was pulled out after experiencing calf tightness.
The club will now sweat on the results of scans.
The injury comes at a cruel time for Bennell, who had been closing in on an AFL comeback.
The 25-year-old tallied 16 disposals and booted 1.2 in the WAFL last week, leaving coach Ross Lyon impressed by the performance.
Bennell has been working with a specialist ballet physiotherapist in recent months in a bid to finally fix his calf issues.
The outside-the-box approach seemed to be working, until Bennell’s setback on Saturday.
Bennell has been plagued by calf issues and off-field misdemeanours since crossing to the Dockers at the end of 2015.
He is out of contract at season’s end, and faces a fight to earn a new deal.
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