Harley Bennell’s hopes of playing this season appear to be over, but coach Ross Lyon insists it’s a calf injury and not anything sinister that has grounded the former Suns midfielder.

Bennell has been sidelined by an ongoing calf injury for the entire AFL season, and Lyon revealed on Thursday the 23-year-old had suffered a fresh setback.

The club is set to release a statement later on Thursday detailing the exact nature of the injury, with Bennell expected to miss the remainder of the year.

When Fremantle snared Bennell on a three-year deal via the 2015 trade period – it came with risks.

Bennell had suffered a number of soft tissue injuries during his five years at the Suns.

But of even greater concern were his off-field misdemeanours, which included a picture of him sitting next to a number of white powder lines.

The Dockers had hoped to cure Bennell’s calf issues with an extensive rehabilitation period over summer, but it failed to do the trick.

And it seems the latest attempt to rehabilitate the calf has also failed.

“He’s had a bit of a hiccup, but we’ll explain that in the fullness of time,” Lyon said on Thursday.

“He’s sort of hit a bit of a road block.”

When pushed about the mystery surrounding Bennell’s lengthy absence, Lyon replied: “There is no mystery.

“Harley’s had a calf injury – a significant one – and he’s had a relapse.

“There’s no mystery. Unless you want to attack it from a mischievous point of view. So there’s no mystery.

“Harley’s trained incredibly hard. Been fantastic. There’s no mystery here. We’ll give you the update at the right time.”