Reiding into the real picture

The year was 2008. Richmond finished ninth, Geelong was the Minor Premiers and Hawthorn dismantled the Cattery in the last day in September. For one club, there was no time to sleep over the Christmas break. The mighty Melbourne Demons, who had a miserable season under Coach Dean Bailey, had the number one pick in the draft, and with it, took a young Skinny 17 year-old utility that was to Demon fans the next big star. It would never turn out the way Jack Watts or The Dee’s faithful foresaw it, could it be a bit of history repeating for the West Coast Eagles? 

Harley Reid after a close loss to the Bombers in Round 8, 2024

Harley Reid, a young man from Tongela, was taken with the first overall pick in the AFL draft. A ready built, big-bodied mid-forward, he was recruited from the Bendigo Pioneers, the same NAB League club as Dustin Martin. And as the scouts had reported at the time, that wasn’t the only similarity.  

Talk about hype, this boy was unstoppable, fending off kids left right and centre, bullying his way out of congestion, and going down forward to ruin some young star’s scouting report by winning one-on-ones inside 50. This is what the Eagles needed. With departures of club legend and all-time leading goal kicker Josh Kennedy, and veteran defender Jack Reddon, the rebuild was the smart tactic, though they picked the wrong man.  

Of course you aren’t going to look past a Harley Reid: the talent was there for the entire world to see. But what we didn’t see behind closed doors, we are starting to see now.  

Reid accepting the AFLPA best First-year player Award in 2024

In the start of his 2025 campaign, Reid has looked lost, collecting 27 touches and one goal to go with four marks, seven tackles and zero one percenters over the first two games of the season. Eagles fans would expect Reid to be competing with the likes of Patrick Cripps, Nick Daicos, Marcus Bontempelli or even a Noah Anderson in terms of numbers, but you won’t see him coming anywhere near those sorts of games soon.  

So, what's the problem, what's been keeping Reid down like this, after a solid rookie season? Well of course the limelight. The young Eagle is plastered across the back page of the Western Australian every single day, and the pressure has been put on him since he got to WA. Seen as the chosen one who would steer the Eagles back to their winning success, there is a point when it all becomes too much.  

Or is it the expectation of being the number one pick? being taken first in the draft is a revered position, so no doubt you must be a pretty handy football player, with a great deal of up-side to be considered the top of your class. There is a certain expectation that such a talent will slot into the team from round one, following a full preseason.  

Or could it be that he just a lazy, arrogant young AFL star, who has expectations placed upon him that he is better than he actually is? 

Reid fly's for the Bendigo Pioneer's in 2023

Don’t get me wrong, Reid has what it takes to be a Hall of Famer by the end of his career. But he won’t be remembered for his time on the West Coast. And clubs will need to do more scouting of how a player behaves off the football field. We saw the exact situation at North Melbourne, when they picked a young South Australian gun midfielder Jason Horne-Francis, in a draft that had the likes of Sam Darcy, Nick Daicos and Mac Andrew, all falling under either Father-son or Next Gen Academy. But in West Coast’s case, this wasn’t the situation. Reid had shown over the last two weeks and parts of last year that he must not be taking the football lifestyle seriously just yet. 

His lazy defensive efforts, pleading for cheap touches and freekicks, and interaction with fans is concerning. Reid also looks like he needs to take his fitness and conditioning more seriously. If football analysts like Kane Cornes are going to target the likes of Daicos for his professionalism and preparation, I think it's only fair that we take look at Reid for the same thing. Do his teammates approve of these actions? Is it disconnecting the team from winning with each other? It does seem like it. What is he like in team meetings? Is he as disconnected as he is in team huddles at quarter- and three-quarter-time in matches? The question is, is he someone you want around your club right now?  

Reid Celebrating a West Coast Goal

I'm not writing Harley Reid’s short career off just yet. But there are drastic changes that West Coast and Reid can make now that will help both he and the club.  

First, you can trade him now. Reid still holds a great deal of value, even though after 3 years and he isn't the player we all thought he would be. And if he signs with a Victorian team on a medium-term contract, West Coast will have nightmares for a long time for not getting the right compensation they deserve.  

Second, Reid can change his attitude by bringing the right people into his circle — mentor’s that have credibility. Immediately legendary players like Judd, Ablett, Selwood, Hodge or even Eddie Betts spring to mind, who could help get Reid into a better mindset.  

Reid exciting after kicking a goal for the Eagles

These Hall of Fame legends have been there and done it, and know how to deal with the limelight and pressures of expectations.  

Of course, getting Reid back to Victoria, where he truly belongs. Unfortunately it's not Perth, with all of the media drama and speculation surrounding him wanting to come back home. Reid could contemplate the feeling of having the weight off his shoulders by coming back to the home of football, putting him in an environment to strive in. 

Reid could be a Brownlow Medallist, if he makes the right decisions. It will be interesting to see whether Reid will be able to turn his season around. Will it be the Reid we saw in his NAB League years, with the flashy moves, fancy side steps, and 50-metre bombs? Or will it be the same Harley Reid: lazy, arrogant, middle-finger to the crowd?