HARLEY Bennell's hopes of reviving his AFL career have taken yet another hit with the injury-plagued Fremantle midfielder hurting his left calf at training on Monday.

The setback occurred while Bennell was part of the rehabilitation group completing running exercises as he worked his way back from a minor calf strain suffered last week.

The 26-year-old left the group before the session ended and walked alone across the oval to the changerooms, giving a supporter a thumbs up and a smile as he left the track.

But it has emerged Bennell sustained a suspected calf strain, which will be scanned and assessed by club medicos.

"Harley sustained an injury to his left calf this morning while training away from the main playing group on a modified program," general manager of football Peter Bell said.

"Our medical staff will await the results of a scan, which will establish the extent of the injury, the treatment required and a recovery plan."

Despite playing only two senior games in three seasons since crossing from Gold Coast, Freo handed Bennell a one-year contract extension for 2019 last August.

The Dockers changed his training program this pre-season to focus more on getting miles into his legs and Bennell had avoided any setbacks until he experienced calf tightness in late January.  

"He's tried a different tack this year and maybe not do so much heavy leg weights and just more running training," Bennell's manager Colin Young told 6PR radio station last week.

"It was just backing off the weights because we thought that might be a problem.

"It's a bit of an interesting one … I think for most of the seasons up on the Gold Coast he played an average of 16 or 17 games (81 matches in five seasons).

"It's disappointing for everyone, Harley included. No one wants to prove everyone wrong more than Harley.

"I can't, and I'm certainly not sure the club can put their finger on why (he keeps getting injured)."

WHO MAKES FINALS? Do the 2019 Ladder Predictor

Young denied he had spoken to Bennell about considering his playing future if he was unable to put his soft-tissue nightmare behind him.

"No, haven't had that conversation as yet. We've been fairly confident from about last November until a few weeks ago that it should be tickety-boo," Young said.

"He's been extremely confident of playing hopefully 22 games this year and helping Freo get into the finals."

The history of Harley Bennell's calves

Sunday, March 2, 2014 – Bennell plays a pre-season game for Gold Coast against Collingwood but a problematic calf issue means he doesn't return, via the NEAFL, until April.

Pre-Christmas, 2015 – Suffered a calf injury and has 'ongoing calf problems' during the pre-season.

Saturday, March 19, 2016 – Calf strain while playing for Peel Thunder. Picked up 23 disposals and slotted four goals in that display.

Friday, November 18, 2016 – Left calf strain at training, which was then considered his 'good' calf.

Sunday, December 10, 2016 – Bennell leaves for Munich, Germany, to consult with world-renowned soft-tissue expert Dr Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt for his problematic calves.

Tuesday, April 4, 2017 – Another left calf injury. Initially diagnosed as a minor tear but further scans showed it was more serious than first thought. Had yet to resume full training before that setback.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 – Grade one tear in his left calf while training with Peel.

Saturday, June 2, 2018 – Calf tightness in his fourth-straight game for Peel. Sat out the second half of the clash with Claremont.

Saturday, July 28, 2018 – Left calf injury while playing for Peel. Pulled up short early in the last quarter after a 27-disposal and two-goal effort against West Perth and went to the bench, but eventually returned to the field.

Saturday, August 18, 2018 – Calf injury while playing for Peel in the second half of a match against Claremont, attempting a comeback after three weeks on the sidelines.

Week of January 21, 2019 – Bennell experiences calf tightness during a pre-season training session.

Friday, February 8, 2019 – Bennell strains a calf while training, but the injury is only minor and expected to delay his return for just two weeks.

Monday, February 18, 2019 – The former Sun's left calf goes during routine running exercises during his rehabilitation at Cockburn.