Harley Bennell (born Harley Nannup; born 2 October 1992) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who last played for the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). He was drafted with the second selection in the 2010 AFL draft by the

Gold Coast Football Club The Gold Coast Suns, officially the Gold Coast Football Club, are a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara. The ...

. Bennell was recruited from

Peel Thunder Football Club The Peel Thunder Football Club is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). The team is based in Mandurah, Western Australia, with their home ground being Rushton Park. The ...

which play in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL "waffle" or "W-A-F-L") is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting f ...

Early life

Born into an indigenous family of nine children, Harley Bennell is third eldest of his siblings. He is the brother of former

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. ...

rookie listed player John Bennell and the cousin of former

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

player, Jamie Bennell.

Junior football

Bennell began playing football competitively at the Pinjarra Junior Football Club at the age of 13. He competed in the juniors side for two years before going through the 2007 season undefeated with his team and tasted his first premiership at age 15. The following year Bennell began playing for the under 16s team at the

before breaking into the under 18s side and played forward predominantly. In 2009 Bennell would be named captain of his high school team at

Mandurah Senior College Mandurah ( ) is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 90,306. Mandurah's central business dis ...

and would go on to play several games for the Peel seniors team in the

at 16 years of age. Following the 2009 season he was offered an AIS scholarship. By the start of the 2010 season Bennell had experienced a growth spurt and selectors began to take more notice of him as he solidified a spot in the Peel Thunder seniors side. During the 2010 season Bennell would also be picked for the Western Australian under 18s team that competed in the

AFL Under 18 Championships The AFL National Championships is an annual Australian national underage representative Australian rules football tournament. Since taking over as national governing body in 1995, the AFL has gradually restructured the competition into a primar ...

, he would walk away with the

Larke Medal The AFL National Championships is an annual Australian national underage representative Australian rules football tournament. Since taking over as national governing body in 1995, the AFL has gradually restructured the competition into a primar ...

which is awarded to the best player of the tournament. Bennell would cap off a stunning 2010 season by being picked number 2 in the 2010 AFL draft by the

AFL career

He made his AFL debut in Round 2, 2011 in the Gold Coast Suns inaugural AFL match against Carlton at

the Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Gab ...

. Bennell was dropped for disciplinary reasons after the Gold Coast's round 3 clash. He returned to the team the following week but was again dropped two weeks later. He spent numerous weeks playing for the reserves team and returned to the seniors team for their round 11 clash against the

in Perth. Bennell would then skip a compulsory training session by staying in Perth longer than allowed by the club. He was once again dropped from the team. He showed enough in the reserves to earn a recall to the seniors team in round 15 but the Suns' leadership group did not allow him back into the team for the match against , which was also played in Perth. The following week he returned against the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

and soon after began living with team mate

Karmichael Hunt Karmichael Neil Matthew Hunt (born 17 November 1986) is an Australian professional rugby league coach and former player who is the current head coach of the Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup, as well as the Cook Islands national rugby ...

. He would not miss another game and finish the 2011 season with 14 goals from 14 games. Bennell's 2012 season would be a stark difference to his inaugural AFL year, he would play in all 22 games of the year. He would also end the year with 25 goals and finish second in the club's best and fairest behind Gary Ablett, Jr. Bennell was dropped from the Suns' team in May 2015 after drinking alcohol after a game despite the team agreeing to avoid alcohol for the week. In July, ''

The Courier-Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

'' and ''

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'' newspapers published a photo on their front pages, allegedly showing Bennell preparing to inhale a white powder, presumed to be an illicit drug. The photo was reported taken in

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...

in March 2013. The photo was published just days after Bennell's former teammate and housemate, Karmichael Hunt's statement to the police, detailing Hunt's use of cocaine with unnamed Gold Coast players, was leaked to the press. Bennell was not selected to play the next game for Gold Coast. On 7 September, after a drunken altercation in

Surfers Paradise Surfing is a list of surface water sports, surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in Glossary of surfing, tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wind wave, wave of water, whic ...

, the Gold Coast Suns revealed that Bennell would be traded, and he was officially traded to the

Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers or colloquially Freo, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represen ...

in October. Since the start of 2016 Bennell has had a string of soft tissue injuries to his calf, this effects his running ability and has struggled to be fit enough for the rigours of AFL football. After four years on Fremantle's list for a total of two games, Bennell parted ways with the Dockers in June 2019. He was invited to train with a number of clubs, and was signed to 's list in February 2020 as part of the supplementary selection period (SSP). Bennell debuted for during the 2020 season, which was disrupted by the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He kicked his first goal for the club in the 17-point win over his old side, , in round six. In the aftermath of the match, Bennell became a target of racial vilification on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

, though the offensive tweet was later removed. Bennell was suspended for the first four games of the 2021 season and fined $50,000 as he breached a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

AFL protocol and left the Gold Coast Queensland hub before the final game of the 2020 season. On 28 September, he announced his retirement.

Representative football

Bennell made his representative debut for the Indigenous All-Stars in 2013 against

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. He was named man of the match and received the

Polly Farmer Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer (10 March 1935 14 August 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the East Perth Football Club and West Perth Football Club in th ...

Medal for his efforts.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the end of round 7, 2020''Harley Bennell's player profile at AFL Tables
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2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 37 , , 14 , , 14 , , 16 , , 111 , , 135 , , 246 , , 41 , , 33 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 7.9 , , 9.6 , , 17.6 , , 2.9 , , 2.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 22 , , 25 , , 18 , , 273 , , 248 , , 521 , , 72 , , 48 , , 1.1 , , 0.8 , , 12.4 , , 11.3 , , 23.7 , , 3.3 , , 2.2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 15 , , 19 , , 18 , , 198 , , 142 , , 340 , , 55 , , 31 , , 1.3 , , 1.2 , , 13.2 , , 9.5 , , 22.7 , , 3.7 , , 2.1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 15 , , 23 , , 16 , , 185 , , 136 , , 321 , , 67 , , 29 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , 12.3 , , 9.1 , , 21.4 , , 4.5 , , 1.9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 15 , , 11 , , 15 , , 225 , , 128 , , 353 , , 55 , , 55 , , 0.7 , , 1.0 , , 15.0 , , 8.5 , , 23.5 , , 3.7 , , 3.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

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Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

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2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

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, 13 , , 2 , , 3 , , 1 , , 14 , , 5 , , 19 , , 5 , , 3 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 7.0 , , 2.5 , , 9.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

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2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

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, 17 , , 3 , , 2 , , 1 , , 18 , , 20 , , 38 , , 6 , , 1 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 6.0 , , 6.7 , , 12.7 , , 2.0 , , 0.3 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 86 ! 97 ! 85 ! 1024 ! 814 ! 1838 ! 301 ! 200 ! 1.1 ! 1.0 ! 11.9 ! 9.5 ! 21.4 ! 3.5 ! 2.3 ''Did not play in 2016, 2018 and 2019 due to injury''

References

https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/hes-back-harley-bennell-hits-training-track-for-melbourne-ng-b881400345z

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennell, Harley 1992 births Living people Gold Coast Football Club players Peel Thunder Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Western Australia People from Pinjarra, Western Australia Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football 21st-century Indigenous Australian people Fremantle Football Club players Melbourne Football Club players