IF THE silky-skilled Harley Bennell can stay out of the coach's bad books he could be one hell of an AFL player.
Bennell - along with teammates Brandon Matera, Trent McKenzie and Danny Stanley - was dropped ahead of the Suns’ round six clash against Adelaide for defying a club edict on alcohol consumption.
It was a strong statement from Rodney Eade, who has endured a horror start to his first year as Gold Coast coach.
Equally as strong were Eade’s comments after the quartet served their punishment in the NEAFL - Bennell would not be put up as trade bait at the end of the year.
It’s easy to see why Eade wants to retain Bennell - at his best, he can be one of the most damaging offensive players in the League.
However, Bennell’s talent has never been in question, rather his consistency and willingness to do the basic, selfless actions that are so important to team success.
How he rebounded against the Eagles was always going to be intriguing.
Performance against West Coast
Bennell started the clash against West Coast with passion.
The laconic midfielder is never going to look like a desperado on the footy field but he played with spark and was lively from the get-go.
Lining up on the back of the square, Bennell cruised instead of charging in but showed the sort of desire Eade would have demanded.
He was clearly his team's best player in the first half. A knee injury curtailed his night.
Click here for full match coverage of Eagles v Suns
High point
His 10 first-quarter disposals included the Suns’ only goal, which came from a typically smooth kick from right half-forward.
A sublime pick-up in traffic at half-forward followed by a long shot, which faded left in the second term, showed the raw class Bennell possesses.
Low point
On a night not made for silky skills, Bennell was one of many players who struggled to dispose of the ball effectively.
Matt Priddis marked one of Bennell’s miskicks 40m out and kicked the first goal of the match. Later, Josh Kennedy got on the end of another Bennell turnover but missed the set shot.
His intent was good, but execution not always so great.
However, the lowest point came when he hobbled off with an injured left knee late in the third quarter and was withdrawn from the game after experiencing sharp pain when he tried to get going in the final term.
He had his left knee encased in ice in the rooms but Eade said early indications were that he only had a knock to his fat pad and could play next week.
The stats sheet
Bennell rates top five in virtually every category at Gold Coast except tackles, but he showed a willingness to get his hands dirty against the Eagles - his tally of three tackles in the 67 per cent of the game against West Coast was above his average of 2.14 per game in his career.
He ended with 23 disposals, six inside-50s and a goal, but the big blot on his effort was his disposal efficiency, a poor 43 per cent.
What they said in the rooms
Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade: "I thought Bennell was pretty good. He got a knock on his knee just before three-quarter time when we had already just made the sub, which was unfortunate because we were a player down in the last quarter. I thought Bennell was obviously the best of the four of them. I thought he played quite well."
Suns captain Michael Rischitelli: "Bennell was pretty good, he was lively early and gave us plenty of run. The other couple of boys were pretty good. Fish (Brandon Matera) and Trent (McKenzie) did a couple of nice things ... Danny Stanley’s tackling was pretty good. We know where we’re at, we just have to learn off this and get better. We have to watch the tape and see where we can improve."
How will he fare next week against Collingwood?
Bennell won’t do much early in the week but the Suns will be desperate for him to play, considering Gary Ablett, Jaeger O'Meara, David Swallow, Nick Malceski and Jack Martin are already sidelined, and doubts remaining over several others. If he fronts up, he will be a key against Collingwood at Metricon Stadium, where has dominated before. His form looks strong and his ball handling impressive.
How did the other 'naughty Suns' go against West Coast?
Bennell was one of four Suns who missed the Adelaide clash due to club suspension. The others - McKenzie, Stanley and Matera - also jumped straight back into the depleted team and Eade threw three of them straight into the action, starting McKenzie on the bench.
Stanley began the match at the centre bounce on a night that suited his solid frame and his low centre of gravity.
He battled as Danny Stanley does, what’s the cliché? – manfully. But he didn’t have much impact, ending with 12 disposals and six tackles.
Danny Stanley snaps the ball forward during a tough night for the Suns. Picture: AFL Media
Matera also showed patches of desperation but the ball wasn’t quite bouncing his way.
He did a lot of chasing across half-back when the Eagles had the extra man and ended the game with five possessions, three tackles and two goals.
You need to remember though that the Suns' half-time score was just 1.2 (8), so opportunities were scarce.
McKenzie also had a tough night, with West Coast dominating the inside-50 count (66-24) and Gold Coast’s defence under siege.
He was also surrounded by some inexperienced players and had just 11 disposals.
