FREMANTLE recruit Harley Bennell has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to complications with his calf injury.

Bennell missed 10 weeks of the pre-season as he built a foundation to avoid ongoing problems with his calf.

He returned to play the last game of the NAB Challenge and the first game of the WAFL season prior to round one of the AFL season.

But he injured his calf at the end of that WAFL clash and was ruled for another 10 weeks.

He experienced some discomfort in his calf on Tuesday and an MRI confirmed he had suffered a significant "re-tear".

The Dockers sought expert advice from around the country and it was decided that Bennell needed to sit out the remainder of the season.

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"Harley sustained a calf injury on the 19th of March and since then has been undergoing a comprehensive rehabilitation program," Fremantle's head physiotherapist Jeff Boyle said on the club's website.

"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."

The Dockers have already lost superstar midfielder Nat Fyfe for the rest of the season due to his fractured fibula, while Aaron Sandilands (ribs) and Michael Johnson (knee/hamstring) have also suffered long-term injuries that may keep them out for the majority of the season.