Harley Bennell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harley Bennell |
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Bennell playing for Fremantle in March 2016
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Harley Bennell | ||
| Date of birth | 2 October 1992 | ||
| Original team | Peel Thunder (WAFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 2, 2010 National Draft, Gold Coast | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Harley Bennell (born 2 October 1992) is a former professional Australian rules footballer. He played for the Gold Coast Football Club, Fremantle Football Club, and Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Harley was chosen as the second player in the 2010 AFL draft. He started his journey in football at the Peel Thunder Football Club.
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Early Life and Family
Harley Bennell was born into an Indigenous family. He is one of nine children. Harley is the third oldest among his siblings. His brother, John Bennell, also played football. His cousin, Jamie Bennell, played for the West Coast Eagles and Melbourne.
Junior Football Journey
Harley began playing football at age 13. He joined the Pinjarra Junior Football Club. After two years, his team had an amazing season. They went undefeated in 2007. Harley won his first championship at 15 years old.
Playing for Peel Thunder
The next year, Harley joined the under 16s team. This was at the Peel Thunder Football Club. Soon, he moved up to the under 18s side. He mostly played as a forward. In 2009, Harley became captain of his high school team. He played for Mandurah Senior College. At just 16, he also played several games for the Peel seniors team. This was in the West Australian Football League.
Rising Star in 2010
After the 2009 season, Harley received a special scholarship. It was from the AIS. By 2010, Harley had grown taller. Football selectors started to notice him more. He earned a regular spot in the Peel Thunder senior team.
In 2010, Harley was picked for the Western Australian under 18s team. They played in the AFL Under 18 Championships. Harley won the Larke Medal. This award goes to the best player in the tournament. He finished his great 2010 season by being drafted. The Gold Coast Football Club chose him as the second pick.
AFL Career Highlights
Harley made his AFL debut in 2011. It was in Round 2 for the Gold Coast Suns. This was their first-ever AFL match. They played against Carlton.
Challenges and Growth
Harley faced some challenges early in his career. He was sometimes not selected for games. This was due to difficulties with team rules. He spent time playing for the reserves team. However, he always worked hard to return to the senior team. By the end of 2011, he played 14 games. He scored 14 goals.
His 2012 season was much better. He played in all 22 games that year. He scored 25 goals. Harley finished second in the club's best and fairest award. This showed his great improvement.
Moving to Fremantle
Harley was traded to the Fremantle Football Club in October 2013. This happened after some off-field issues. He faced many injuries from 2016 onwards. These were mostly soft tissue injuries to his calf. This made it hard for him to stay fit. He struggled to play consistently in the AFL.
After four years, Harley played only two games for Fremantle. He left the club in June 2019.
Joining Melbourne and Retirement
Harley was invited to train with several clubs. In February 2020, he signed with the Melbourne Football Club. He debuted for Melbourne during the 2020 AFL season. This season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He kicked his first goal for Melbourne against his old team, Gold Coast. After this game, Harley faced racism online. An offensive tweet was posted on Twitter, but it was later removed.
Harley was suspended for the first four games of the 2021 season. He also received a fine. This was because he broke team rules related to health guidelines. On September 28, he announced his retirement from football.
Representative Football
Harley played for the Indigenous All-Stars in 2013. They played against Richmond. He was named the best player in the match. He received the Polly Farmer Medal for his excellent performance.
Statistics
- Statistics are correct to the end of round 7, 2020
| G | Goals | B | Behinds | K | Kicks | H | Handballs | D | Disposals | M | Marks | T | Tackles |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2011 | Gold Coast | 37 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 111 | 135 | 246 | 41 | 33 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 7.9 | 9.6 | 17.6 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| 2012 | Gold Coast | 11 | 22 | 25 | 18 | 273 | 248 | 521 | 72 | 48 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 12.4 | 11.3 | 23.7 | 3.3 | 2.2 |
| 2013 | Gold Coast | 11 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 198 | 142 | 340 | 55 | 31 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 13.2 | 9.5 | 22.7 | 3.7 | 2.1 |
| 2014 | Gold Coast | 11 | 15 | 23 | 16 | 185 | 136 | 321 | 67 | 29 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 12.3 | 9.1 | 21.4 | 4.5 | 1.9 |
| 2015 | Gold Coast | 11 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 225 | 128 | 353 | 55 | 55 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 15.0 | 8.5 | 23.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| 2016 | Fremantle | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | Fremantle | 13 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 9.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| 2018 | Fremantle | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | Fremantle | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020 | Melbourne | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 12.7 | 2.0 | 0.3 |
| 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
