Fremantle senior coach Ross Lyon confirmed on Monday that Harley Bennell injured his right calf in Saturday’s game for Peel Thunder in the WAFL.
Bennell was one of the best performers on the day with 23 disposals and four goals.
“Unfortunately, Harley strained his calf coming out of Saturday’s game.” Lyon said.
Lyon said it was a disappointing result for Bennell, who had been troubled by a calf injury through the pre-season but performed well in Freo’s NAB Challenge game against Geelong.
“He’s worked incredibly hard, and we’re really disappointed,” he said.
“It’s not unusual, and calves can be a bit tricky.
“Clearly, it’s not ideal but we’ll get the professionals onto it.”
However, Lyon said it wouldn’t affect Freo’s team selection ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Western Bulldogs.
“Harley was never going to play in round one,” he said.
“We said he was going to play round two, and that was the plan.
“He’ll be a loss, but it’s next man in, all clubs deal with injuries.
“That’s AFL footy, it’s full of disappointments but it’s about how you respond and how you fight back.”
Lyon said Bennell was in a good position to respond, and appeared determined despite the setback.
“I spoke to Harley yesterday and he’s in a good frame of mind,” he said.
“We’ve got full faith in Harley, and we’ve got to find a solution for him.”
