HARLEY Bennell did not train with the main group at Fremantle's open session on Wednesday as the club continues to manage his training loads in the lead-up to the Christmas break.
The Dockers held a solid two-hour session at Fremantle Oval on Wednesday but Bennell only made a brief appearance on the ground.
The talented young midfielder joined Michael Barlow, Nick Suban and Nat Fyfe in some short, stationary handball and reaction drills away from the main group before heading back indoors.
However, Dockers assistant coach David Hale said there was no cause for concern with Bennell.
"I think they're just de-loading him at the moment, going into Christmas," Hale said.
"He'd done a fair bit of work the first few weeks so I think they're just monitoring him going forward."
Bennell did return to pre-season training ahead of schedule, joining the Dockers' first-to-four-year players in late November before the rest of the senior players returned on December 1.
Fremantle defender Lee Spurr said on Tuesday that he had been very impressed by Bennell's first month at the club.
"Around the club he's been great," Spurr said.
"He trains really hard and works really hard and is dedicated. He's really engaging in the club and wants to be part of it and get to know the boys.
"So that's great from that side of it and I can't speak highly enough of Harley in the short time he's been at the club so far.
Fyfe is still working through the rehabilitation process from the fractured fibula he suffered in the preliminary final loss to Hawthorn. He has been running despite not participating in the main sessions to date.
Young key forward Michael Apeness is still in the rehab group as he tries to overcome the knee problems that plagued his season.
Apeness, the Dockers' first pick in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft, made his AFL debut in 2014 and played two matches.
But the 20-year-old only managed four WAFL games in 2015 before he was struck down with injury in round seven.
Hale said the club was hopeful Apeness would be back on the track by the end of January.
"He's a big boy. Just doing some touch stuff and marking with him, he's got fantastic hands," Hale said.
"From all reports, he's a pretty good competitor. He's got the basis there to be a pretty good player. He just needs a bit of luck with injury."
NAB AFL Academy squad member and 2016 draft prospect Sam Petrevski-Seton trained with the Dockers on Wednesday as part of his two-week stint at the club.
He did not look out of place as he joined in with the forward group doing some work alongside Michael Walters.
