BANISHED Fremantle midfielder Harley Bennell was a notable absentee from the club's 2018 team photo on Tuesday.

The Dockers assembled for the annual photograph at their Cockburn Central headquarters and Bennell was nowhere to be seen.

The controversial 25-year-old is two weeks into his enforced two-month spell away from the club and will be superimposed into the official image.

The Dockers left a spare chair at the back right of the team photo to add Bennell into the picture.

Former skipper David Mundy said it wasn't "that rare" for players to miss the team photo.

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"Obviously Harley is a bit unique in that it's a club sanction," he said.

Bennell was ordered away following a nightclub scuffle with a bouncer after drinking "an excessive amount of alcohol" the day before Freo returned to pre-season training from the Christmas break.

He subsequently missed that session and was sent to train at WAFL alignment club Peel Thunder for at least eight weeks.

Bennell was also fined $15,000 (with $5000 suspended) and told by Freo to undergo counselling to make "better decisions in off-field situations". 

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Bennell needs to earn the right to be reintegrated into the Dockers' program, with no guarantees he will return once his eight weeks in limbo is up.

The talented but injury-plagued midfield star is out of contract at the end of 2018 and has so far managed just two games in two years at Fremantle.

His time at the Dockers has been blighted by repeat calf setbacks and unwanted off-field headlines, including for being asked to leave a flight last April for being intoxicated.

Bennell was then fined $10,000 – half of that suspended – and ordered to undergo counselling for bizarre behaviour while attending a Peel match in May.

Mundy, who is part of the club's leadership group, hasn't spoken to Bennell since his suspension and wasn't sure when he would contact his teammate.  

"It's really individual," Mundy said.

"We often say with things like this, or people going through illness or family issues, the people closest to him feel free to contact him.

"But Harley's got enough on his plate at the moment. To add on 46 guys constantly touching base with him would just add to his burden, we think.

"So the guys who are really close with him and have that connection already I'm sure will be talking to him and helping him through it as best they can.

"We certainly don't want to overburden Harley at the moment."

The Dockers brought their men's and women's teams together for a photo as one club for the first time during Tuesday's shoot.