Bennell a better man than me: Ross Lyon

Jul 16, 2017 - 5:31 PM Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says Harley Bennell is mentally tougher than him, and he hopes to see the prized recruit back on the AFL arena soon.

Bennell moved a step closer towards an AFL return by making it through 60 minutes in Peel Thunder's WAFL win over East Perth last Saturday.

It was Bennell's first match in 16 months after finally overcoming a long list of calf injuries.

Bennell's future still hangs in the balance, with the former Suns midfielder needing to string together several more games before being considered for an AFL recall.

During his injury-plagued two seasons at the Dockers, Bennell has found himself in off-field trouble on several occasions.

But Lyon had nothing but praise to lavish on Bennell when asked about the 24-year-old's recent return.

"It1s been a tough road. He is working his way through with great character and great resilience," Lyon said.

"I can tell you, I would have crumbled. I would have been out of the system by now. I would have flicked the bails.

"He has great mental toughness. He is a better man than me."

Bennell tallied 12 disposals and a goal playing as a forward for Peel Thunder.

Lyon described it as an emotional moment given all the adversity Bennell has faced.

"I was really nervous watching it, because I thought if that calf was to go again, we would have to pick up the pieces," Lyon said.

"It was a positive step.

"His quality just shone through. It was frightening what we saw in patches."

Fremantle's finals hopes are all but over after they suffered a 30-point loss to West Coast in Sunday's western derby.

The 11.8 (74) to 5.14 (44) defeat left Fremantle (7-9) two wins and percentage adrift of eighth spot.

But Lyon took plenty of positives from the loss, with Fremantle winning the inside 50m battle (57-46) and the clearances (40-28).

Midfielder Stephen Hill is in doubt for Saturday night's clash with Hawthorn in Perth after dislocating his left shoulder.

Hill was able to play out the match once his shoulder was popped back in, but he will be further assessed later this week.

Forward Cameron McCarthy will return from suspension.

Lyon defended out-of-sorts forward Shane Kersten, who has booted just 17 goals from 15 games.

"I couldn1t be more pleased that he is growing," Lyon said.

"He is launching. He is playing with an incredibly youthful forward line. We will continue to build there."

Source: AAP