Fremantle recruit Harley Bennell will miss the rest of the season due to complications with a recurring calf injury in his right leg.

Bennell, who had been troubled by a calf injury during the pre-season, performed well in Fremantle’s  NAB Challenge game against Geelong on 12 March before injuring it again playing for Peel in the WAFL the following week.

As a result of aggravating the calf injury playing for Peel, Bennell was subsequently placed on a comprehensive rehabilitation program.

But on Tuesday, after experiencing some discomfort in his right leg, Bennell had an MRI which confirmed that he had suffered a significant “re-tear” of the medial aponeurosis in his calf.

Fremantle’s principal physiotherapist Jeff Boyle said on Thursday the club’s decision to rule Bennell out for the rest of the season was based on national and international expert medical advice.

“Harley sustained a calf injury on the 19^th of March and since then has been undergoing a comprehensive rehabilitation program,” Dr Boyle said.

 “During this rehabilitation phase, Harley has re-torn the area of the calf that was previously damaged and based on that information we feel that we need a longer period of time to rehabilitate the calf.

 “We’ve sought opinions from national and international experts, their indication is that we just need to take a longer period of time to allow this tissue to heal properly and then to reload the calf so it can sustain the running conditioning we want him to be able to achieve.”

Earlier, senior coach Ross Lyon told reporters that Bennell had been “fantastic” since joining the club.

"There is no mystery, Harley's had a calf injury - a significant one - and he's had a relapse," Lyon said.

"There's no mystery, unless you want to attack it from a mischievous point of view.

"Harley's trained incredibly hard. (He’s) been fantastic.”