Harley Bennell has endured another injury setback, injuring his troublesome calf at training on Friday, according to the West Australian.
Bennell, who hasn’t played an AFL game since 2017, had scans on Saturday which revealed that he had suffered a minor strain in the calf.
The injury comes less than two weeks after the Dockers had reduced his training load due to tightness.
Fremantle have yet to put a timeframe on Bennell’s return to full training, reports The West Australian.
Until the setback, coach Ross Lyon had just last week suggested that the injury-plagued midfielder was having a strong preseason.
“He’s on a program where we’re building him up to three sessions a week,” Lyon said last week.
“As he said, he’s done more this year than he’s done in four years – his body has allowed him to.
“He still hasn’t been able to do the exact level of work of Andrew (Brayshaw) or Nat Fyfe, but he’s not far off.”
Bennell is the most recent addition to a Fremantle injury list strewn with stars, as Stephen Hill (quad), Connor Blakely (hamstring), Jesse Hogan (foot) and Aaron Sandilands (calf) all face uphill battles to be fit for the start of the season.
It now appears extremely unlikely that Bennell will take part in the Dockers’ JLT Community Series campaign, with the club’s first game against Collingwood less than three weeks away on Monday March 4.
