GOLD Coast coach Rodney Eade has moved on from Harley Bennell's off-field dramas and says the star midfielder will now be judged solely by his actions.

Bennell has endured a tumultuous season to date, including drug and alcohol scandals, but broke his silence on Thursday, admitting he feared being sacked.

He will play his first game in four weeks against the Crows at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, and Eade said he had no special expectations for Bennell.

'Disappointed' Bennell sorry, feared being sacked


"We don't expect him to be in the best, just be able to play his role," Eade said on Friday morning.

"It's been a big couple of weeks for him, but his form (in the NEAFL) last week was terrific, he's trained well, I think he's in a reasonable headspace, but … we just expect him to contribute as a team player."

Eade said he had seen a change in Bennell since he was thrust into the national spotlight with pictures released earlier this month of him in a Tasmanian hotel room with illicit drugs in 2013.

He said confronting the media and taking ownership for his mistakes was a positive step for Bennell.

"We all make mistakes," Eade said.

"It's a reasonably big mistake, but it was two-and-a-half years ago. 

"For me, we've moved on and it's more about the welfare of the person. 

"There's a fair bit of contrition there. 

"He wants to be part of the place going forward.

"He likes his teammates, he wants to be involved and you can see there's been responsibility taken and he acknowledges what he needs to do. 

"We've seen through his actions so far, it's only a short period of time, but his actions have been very positive." 

Bennell is not the only big-name inclusion to take on the Crows, with forward Charlie Dixon returning from an ankle injury. 

Eade said he expected Adelaide's best performance after an emotional period following the death of coach Phil Walsh. 

"From what I can gather, they're trying to get back to work as normal," he said.

"We can't labour the point on that. It's about an opponent that's playing good footy. It's going to be a tough assignment for us and that's the way we've prepared."