Fremantle great Paul Hasleby has defended Harley Bennell, denying the embattled star’s latest off-field indiscretion was a “contract breaker”.

Bennell has hit the headlines again after reports emerged he had been asked to leave the Ocean Beach Hotel just after 7pm on Sunday for being intoxicated.

Dockers general manager of football Peter Bell said in a statement that the club was aware that Bennell was asked to leave a licensed venue in Cottesloe on Sunday and complied with the request to do so.

It comes almost a year (last January 9) after the former No. 2 draft pick was banished to train with WAFL affiliate Peel Thunder, because he was involved in a drunken scuffle with security at a Fremantle nightclub before missing the first training session of the year.

Bennell was also fined after bizarre behaviour while attending a Peel match in 2017 and was asked to leave a flight to the Gold Coast in a separate incident for being intoxicated that year.

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The former Gold Coast midfielder has played just two games for Fremantle in three seasons at the club, but was handed a new one-year contract in August in the hopes he could overcome persistent calf problems and have an impact this year.

Hasleby said the club should persist with the richly talented 26-year-old, who has looked in impressive condition during the pre-Christmas period of the summer training program.

“I don’t think there should be any action on this one,” Hasleby said.

“They’ve certainly invested a lot in him.

“There probably would have been many a player probably over the Christmas period and New Year period intoxicated at some stage and the fact that he didn’t get himself into any trouble and complied with all of the security measures at the OBH, I’m happy for them to give him another chance.

“Given his circumstances, it probably wasn’t the smartest move to be out in public and intoxicated but I don’t think it’s an absolute contract breaker.

“I think there’s still a lot of good upside,” he said.

“Clearly over the pre-season he’s done a lot right and his body seems to be holding up so I think given he’s come so far, there may be some sort of little sanction, but I wouldn’t deem it too serious.”

“I think people obviously get the criticism based on their past results, so I think it’s always going to come to the fore when there is an incident.

“But I think you’ve just got to treat each one on its merits and on its merits this one, to me, doesn’t look like a massive deal.”

The Fremantle players have been on leave since their Gold Coast camp wrapped up on December 14.

They are due to return to continue their pre-season training on Monday.

It is unclear whether the club will take any action but Bennell is understood to be on his last chance.

Bennell’s manager Colin Young said in October that new football boss Bell had made his position clear.

“He (Bennell) did have a meeting with the club and obviously Peter has taken that role (in late September) while Harley was on holidays,” Mr Young told SEN in October.

“Harley knows exactly what he has to do next year to get back to becoming an elite player.

“I think Peter was reinforcing that if he has one hiccup, he’ll be out of the club.

“So basically that’s the truth of the matter.

“Harley will be doing his best to stay committed to his fitness regime and try to be an elite player next season.

“But Peter just made sure he (Bennell) knew where he stood.”