CONTRARY to reports Fremantle's Harley Bennell may be out the door, manager Colin Young has said the midfielder has been given one last chance by new footy manager Peter Bell.
Bennell, who has played two games in three years at the club due to a mix of soft-tissue injury and off-field issues, signed a one-year deal in August.
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The talented 26-year-old joined Fremantle from Gold Coast at the end of 2015.
"He did have a meeting with the club, and obviously Peter's taken that role whilst Harley was on holidays. Harley knows exactly what he needs to do next year to get back to [being] an elite player," Young told SEN.
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"I think Peter was just reinforcing (Bennell) has one hiccup to be out of the club. Basically that's the truth of the matter.
"Harley will be doing his best to stay committed to his fitness regime and try to be an elite player next season. Peter was just making sure he knew where he stood."
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Young also provided an update on the calf injuries which have plagued Bennell over the past few years, saying he would be embarking on a different fitness regime over pre-season.
He said Bennell's injury history would have made it difficult for another club to take him on.
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"I'm pretty sure he's played two games in [three] years, it'd be pretty hard for a club to take on Harley next year. If they were going to move him, he needed to have played some football and unfortunately this year he didn't play too much footy," Young said.
"Whether that was due to the way they tried to rehab him back into playing, I'm not sure. He played an average of 17 games at the Gold Coast over five years. So we'll see what happens next year, but hopefully he'll play the 22 games and prove himself again.
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"We weren't too sure whether the way he was being rehabbed was the correct procedure, so there were questions asked.
"He's definitely required, there were no talks and even if there were, it would be ridiculous for a club to pick him up having played just two games in [three] years."
