FREMANTLE remains confident injury-prone midfielder Harley Bennell will return to the field as Dockers coach Ross Lyon backed his philosophy of persisting with youth despite a 61-point drubbing at the hands of Collingwood on Sunday.
Bennell, 25, has not played since round 23 last season and left the ground before half-time in his fourth consecutive appearance for Peel Thunder in the WAFL on Saturday after suffering calf tightness.
Lyon said Bennell's latest injury setback was not a major one and the club is hopeful the former No.2 pick from the 2010 NAB AFL Draft will return to the AFL sphere soon.
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"We got a text from our development coach on the run in the game that they'd tapped Harley out. He had calf tightness and a bit of tone, something that tightens has a bit of tone," Lyon said.
"Harley texted me and said: 'It was a smart move and I think I'm fine’.
"It's still frustrating. It's still the big picture for Harley."
Lyon said the Dockers are hopeful, despite the challenges Bennell has faced, that the midfielder's best football is ahead of him if his body remains sound.
"Am I confident in his attitude to do the work? Well, that's been unfailing. It's well-documented that he works incredibly hard and all of us when we get devastated and challenged sometimes we don't handle the way we should. And he would acknowledge he hasn't been perfect," Lyon said.
"We're more confident at this point in time than we've ever been, even withstanding him being tapped out on the weekend.
"We all know what we're dealing with here – otherwise you wouldn't be talking about someone who hasn't played for two years. We'd all love for Harley's body to stand up and play some great footy.
"It was Sir Doug Nicholls round this weekend and Harley sits in that basket of a young Noongar player who can really express himself on the footy field and build his life. So we'd all like to see that happen."
TALKING POINTS Where there's a Will, there's a goal - or six
Lyon made six changes at selection, with the Dockers losing 1091 games of experience from last weekend's loss to North Melbourne.
Fremantle had seven players under 21 games, including debutants Scott Jones and Stefan Giro who both kicked their first goals late in the game.
"We'll continue to persist. I thought we were bold at selection and we'll continue to be bold," Lyon said.
"I just spoke to Bailey Banfield and he said: '(Steele) Sidebottom and (Scott) Pendlebury react so quickly, it's just one step and they're away.' So they're the lessons and really that's the feedback for young players to become elite players in the competition."
WATCH Ross Lyon's full post-match media conference
Lyon said his young players would learn plenty from the loss, with the coach singling out the team's seven-goal last term as a clear positive in the loss.
"AFL is a great reality check. You can come here with the intent and enthusiasm to compete, but the realities of the game are very sobering," Lyon said.
"To do what we did and kick seven goals in the last quarter, if I'm sitting back in Perth and I'm a member and part of the Docker community… there were some performances within that show we are growing and improving."
Star Docker Alex Pearce came from the field in the third term when he got his right ankle caught underneath in a tackle, with the defender unable to play any further part in the game.
However, Lyon allayed fears that Pearce would be sidelined for a lengthy period.
"(Brodie) Grundy tackled him, there was a leg occasion. We think it's his ankle, even though it was on the same side," Lyon said.
"We're really optistimic there's nothing dramatic there but we're always cautious until [players] get their scans or get checked out.
"We saw him on the bike – and we (the coaches) were saying it looks like's he on the Tour de France, so why can't he get back on? And the doc said he couldn't twist or turn."
