Three-time premiership player Robert Walls has criticised Fremantle for their decision to re-contract duo Harley Bennell and Hayden Ballantyne.
“The question that I would ask is why through this last week did Hayden Ballantyne and Harley Bennell both get contract extensions?” Walls asked on the AFL Nation pregame show.
“I want to know that because, and it’s just my opinion, Ballantyne isn’t good enough to be playing league footy now.
“His best is well passed him and he hasn’t played well for years. I didn’t see the game yesterday, but I looked at the stats and he had four touches.
“Harley Bennell, correct me if I’m wrong, he’s been with the Dockers for two years and played two games in the seniors.
“He hasn’t played a game in the seniors this year and they gifted him two at the end of last season to sort of encourage him to get through a summer training program. You go back to his last few years at Gold Coast and he hardly played.”
“You’ve got a bloke who’s been on an AFL list for four years and barely played, hasn’t played at all this year and gets a contract extension.”
Fellow AFL Hall of Famer Terry Wallace is equally concerned with the Ballantyne decision.
“The Ballantyne one baffles me, I just don’t understand why, where or how,” Wallace said.
“For where they’re at, to me, they’re not playing finals next year, I don’t care what they throw into the mix next year. I don’t see them playing finals next year. Why you’d keep Ballantyne is beyond me.”
Regarding Bennell, Wallace said it all depends on where he’s at mentally and physically.
“I think personally we have to know the circumstances behind Harley Bennell and his injuries, where all that sits and whether they can get him up,” he said.
“It’s a worry to me where he sort of sits with the continuity with the injuries.
“The question that I don’t know the answer to is how dedicated is he to getting himself right.
“I can absolutely say when he arrived (at Fremantle) the answer was no, but over the 18 months I don’t know if he’s gotten better or where it sort of sits.”
The Dockers were obliterated by Geelong yesterday at GMHBA Stadium, conceding 23 goals in a row to lose by 133 points.