Getting a read on Harley: What the Eagles ace can learn from a Hawks legend
Why? He is 20.
He looks like a man, and plays with the skill, power and talent that draws comparisons to Patty Dangerfield. The difference is he is still a kid, while Dangerfield has three kids.
Reid has the temperament of a world-weary uni student who is technically an adult but still gets their parents to do their washing and explain insurance to them. Again, he is 20.
'I don't know if every game Harley Reid spends this much time talking to the umpires and the opposition and crowd, but it must be distracting,' Mark Ricciuto said in commentary with an evident degree of restraint.
'He has got bucket loads of talent, but he is spending so much time worrying about other things other than communicating with his own players, or focusing on what he should be doing, or how can he help his teammates. He can't do everything.
'He is not fit enough to be a gun mid yet. He is going to work on that over the next couple of years, but he should just channel a bit more effort into the football side of things. I love watching him, I am not trying to be too negative, but he is just channelling too much energy into the wrong spots at the moment.'
It was the game where a trend became a problem. Reid has given away more free kicks (52) than any other player this year. There were six given away in Sunday night's game alone. In the same round, fellow No.1 draft pick Matt Rowell – a smaller man but also another precocious teenager who arrived in the game physically ready to play – drew seven free kicks and gave away five. He is a less animated figure on the ground than Reid.
Reid has been fined numerous times this year – including for the bird – and on Sunday should have been suspended for tripping Travis Boak with a kick to both shins. Yet, somehow he drew just another fine. Fortunately, he is already quite well paid.
'He clearly crossed the line too many times tonight,' his coach Andrew McQualter said after the game, most likely with the trip in mind.
'I've had that chat with Harley already. He knows it, and he's going to play up to that line every single week, and that's where we want him... we want it to be a dance with the line that he doesn't step over.'
Some, such as Kane Cornes – a strong defender of Horne-Francis – criticised Reid for being too selfish in the way he plays and giving away free kicks. Being criticised by Cornes does not put Reid in a small club in the AFL, but while Cornes' critique was more strongly worded, the sentiment was similar to Ricciuto's in saying the Eagles youngster should focus more on just playing.
This week on the TV show Cornes shares with Luke Hodge and Dale Thomas, the former Hawthorn and Collingwood premiership players stepped to Reid's defence. Hodge is possibly the best-credentialed person to talk about Reid. He was Reid before Reid – a No.1 draft pick with the body and ability to play immediately, he took time to work the bigger AFL world out.
'He is 20!' Hodge pleaded.
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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Luke Shuey's high praise for Harley Reid despite controversial start to AFL career
Joel Selwood. Trent Cotchin. Luke Hodge. That's the level West Coast assistant Luke Shuey believes Harley Reid will reach in the coming years, as the midfielder grapples with scrutiny over how he approaches the game. Reid has been cited 13 times by the Match Review Officer, in just 37 career matches, and has been suspended for two games. He's also been fined more than $26,000 in his less than two seasons in the AFL, after West Coast snagged him with the number one pick in the draft. It marks a rocky start to his career after West Coast used the first selection in the national draft to pick Shuey offered a staunch defence of Reid's approach. "He's just so passionate and he's really old-school in the sense that he just loves playing with his mates and he loves winning," Shuey told ABC Radio Perth's Sports Talk program. "I don't think there's any easy fix right now. I think his footy IQ is through the roof. "He's one of the smartest kids I've seen walk through the door." Despite glimpses of brilliance in his short career, much of the focus on Reid has been his ill-discipline on the field while he's also been criticised for not being fit enough for AFL football. But Shuey said that the 20-year old would mature. "He'll learn where the line is, where he can push it so far to get away with things, and things that you can't do," he said. "At the moment, everyone is talking about how much it's costing our team every now and then, but I think it's going to be his greatest strength." The former Eagles captain and Norm Smith Medallist likened Reid's approach to the game to that of Selwood, Cotchin and Hodge — three players considered among the modern greats. "In three or four years his leadership is going to be that of Joel Selwood and Trent Cotchin and Luke Hodge. "You play against those blokes on the field, and not a lot of people know this because they knew how to get away with it, but they had an edge to them. "You turn your back on them at the wrong time and they would find a way to get you, and get away with it. "It was because they were so keen on winning, and Harley's the same as that. "He's going to be a great leader for us over a long period of time." Reid is contracted to West Coast for next year, and is expected to entertain big offers from interstate sides at the end of next season.
7NEWS
4 hours ago
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West Coast coach Andrew McQualter concedes 20-year-old Harley Reid is ‘carrying' their midfield
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says the entire club is sick of losing, but he doesn't think it will dissuade Harley Reid from sticking around. The Eagles slumped to their eighth consecutive defeat on Saturday night when they imploded in the third quarter on the way to a 49-point loss to fellow strugglers Richmond. West Coast trailed by just nine points at halftime before Richmond piled on eight goals to one in a devastating third-quarter blitz to run away with the 16.9 (105) to 8.8 (56) win. Reid racked up a whopping 20 disposals and six clearances in the first half, but he was restricted to just four possessions in the third quarter after Jack Ross was sent to him as a hard tag. Even Richmond coach Adem Yze said he felt 'sorry for the kid' given Reid, at just 20, is now the No.1 target for opposition taggers. West Coast (1-17) are destined to collect their second wooden spoon in the space of three seasons, and Reid has tasted just six victories in his 38-game career. Reid is contracted until the end of 2026, but the depths of West Coast's despair has raised questions about whether the Victorian will re-sign. McQualter doesn't think West Coast's plight will put Reid off from staying, however. 'I think if you see Harley and the way he's invested, he's absolutely in and he's a competitor,' McQualter said. 'He's wanting to do everything to get this club out of this position. 'Nobody likes losing, I appreciate that part of it. We're all sick to death of it to be honest. 'But we're the only people that can make a change. It's people inside the four walls that can get us out of here and we have to do it together.' Once Reid was tagged on Saturday night, West Coast had no other midfielder stand up. It was a far different scenario last year when Elliot Yeo — who has missed all of this season with an ankle injury — was there to provide Reid with big-bodied support. 'We are aware that we've got a 20-year-old carrying our midfield,' McQualter said. 'It's not an easy position for him. As a team we have to find more people and players and ways to not rely on one person. 'I thought Harley was by far our best player tonight. 'I loved his team-first approach, the way he attacked the ball. He was inspirational to his teammates. I love the way he went about it.' Reid tallied just seven disposals in the second half, but he managed to kick two goals when he was sent into attack in the last quarter. 'It wasn't too much fun. He didn't like it,' Ross said of his tagging job on Reid. 'Harley had an unbelievable first half ... but I like the challenge. He's a hell of a player. 'He took me to places of the ground I haven't been yet. A great talent.'
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6 hours ago
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Wooden spoon Eagles bank on Reid to stick around
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says the entire club is sick of losing, but he doesn't think it will dissuade Harley Reid from sticking around. The Eagles slumped to their eighth consecutive defeat on Saturday night when they imploded in the third quarter on the way to a 49-point loss to fellow strugglers Richmond. West Coast trailed by just nine points at halftime before Richmond piled on eight goals to one in a devastating third-quarter blitz to run away with the 16.9 (105) to 8.8 (56) win. Reid racked up a whopping 20 disposals and six clearances in the first half, but he was restricted to just four possessions in the third quarter after Jack Ross was sent to him as a hard tag. Even Richmond coach Adem Yze said he felt "sorry for the kid" given Reid, at just 20, is now the No.1 target for opposition taggers. West Coast (1-17) are destined to collect their second wooden spoon in the space of three seasons, and Reid has tasted just six victories in his 38-game career. Reid is contracted until the end of 2026, but the depths of West Coast's despair has raised questions about whether the Victorian will re-sign. McQualter doesn't think West Coast's plight will put Reid off from staying, however. "I think if you see Harley and the way he's invested, he's absolutely in and he's a competitor," McQualter said. "He's wanting to do everything to get this club out of this position. "Nobody likes losing, I appreciate that part of it. We're all sick to death of it to be honest. "But we're the only people that can make a change. It's people inside the four walls that can get us out of here and we have to do it together." Once Reid was tagged on Saturday night, West Coast had no other midfielder stand up. It was a far different scenario last year when Elliot Yeo - who has missed all of this season with an ankle injury - was there to provide Reid with big-bodied support. "We are aware that we've got a 20-year-old carrying our midfield," McQualter said. "It's not an easy position for him. As a team we have to find more people and players and ways to not rely on one person. "I thought Harley was by far our best player tonight. "I loved his team-first approach, the way he attacked the ball. He was inspirational to his teammates. I love the way he went about it." Reid tallied just seven disposals in the second half, but he managed to kick two goals when he was sent into attack in the last quarter. "It wasn't too much fun. He didn't like it," Ross said of his tagging job on Reid. "Harley had an unbelievable first half ... but I like the challenge. He's a hell of a player. "He took me to places of the ground I haven't been yet. A great talent." West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says the entire club is sick of losing, but he doesn't think it will dissuade Harley Reid from sticking around. The Eagles slumped to their eighth consecutive defeat on Saturday night when they imploded in the third quarter on the way to a 49-point loss to fellow strugglers Richmond. West Coast trailed by just nine points at halftime before Richmond piled on eight goals to one in a devastating third-quarter blitz to run away with the 16.9 (105) to 8.8 (56) win. Reid racked up a whopping 20 disposals and six clearances in the first half, but he was restricted to just four possessions in the third quarter after Jack Ross was sent to him as a hard tag. Even Richmond coach Adem Yze said he felt "sorry for the kid" given Reid, at just 20, is now the No.1 target for opposition taggers. West Coast (1-17) are destined to collect their second wooden spoon in the space of three seasons, and Reid has tasted just six victories in his 38-game career. Reid is contracted until the end of 2026, but the depths of West Coast's despair has raised questions about whether the Victorian will re-sign. McQualter doesn't think West Coast's plight will put Reid off from staying, however. "I think if you see Harley and the way he's invested, he's absolutely in and he's a competitor," McQualter said. "He's wanting to do everything to get this club out of this position. "Nobody likes losing, I appreciate that part of it. We're all sick to death of it to be honest. "But we're the only people that can make a change. It's people inside the four walls that can get us out of here and we have to do it together." Once Reid was tagged on Saturday night, West Coast had no other midfielder stand up. It was a far different scenario last year when Elliot Yeo - who has missed all of this season with an ankle injury - was there to provide Reid with big-bodied support. "We are aware that we've got a 20-year-old carrying our midfield," McQualter said. "It's not an easy position for him. As a team we have to find more people and players and ways to not rely on one person. "I thought Harley was by far our best player tonight. "I loved his team-first approach, the way he attacked the ball. He was inspirational to his teammates. I love the way he went about it." Reid tallied just seven disposals in the second half, but he managed to kick two goals when he was sent into attack in the last quarter. "It wasn't too much fun. He didn't like it," Ross said of his tagging job on Reid. "Harley had an unbelievable first half ... but I like the challenge. He's a hell of a player. "He took me to places of the ground I haven't been yet. A great talent." West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says the entire club is sick of losing, but he doesn't think it will dissuade Harley Reid from sticking around. The Eagles slumped to their eighth consecutive defeat on Saturday night when they imploded in the third quarter on the way to a 49-point loss to fellow strugglers Richmond. West Coast trailed by just nine points at halftime before Richmond piled on eight goals to one in a devastating third-quarter blitz to run away with the 16.9 (105) to 8.8 (56) win. Reid racked up a whopping 20 disposals and six clearances in the first half, but he was restricted to just four possessions in the third quarter after Jack Ross was sent to him as a hard tag. Even Richmond coach Adem Yze said he felt "sorry for the kid" given Reid, at just 20, is now the No.1 target for opposition taggers. West Coast (1-17) are destined to collect their second wooden spoon in the space of three seasons, and Reid has tasted just six victories in his 38-game career. Reid is contracted until the end of 2026, but the depths of West Coast's despair has raised questions about whether the Victorian will re-sign. McQualter doesn't think West Coast's plight will put Reid off from staying, however. "I think if you see Harley and the way he's invested, he's absolutely in and he's a competitor," McQualter said. "He's wanting to do everything to get this club out of this position. "Nobody likes losing, I appreciate that part of it. We're all sick to death of it to be honest. "But we're the only people that can make a change. It's people inside the four walls that can get us out of here and we have to do it together." Once Reid was tagged on Saturday night, West Coast had no other midfielder stand up. It was a far different scenario last year when Elliot Yeo - who has missed all of this season with an ankle injury - was there to provide Reid with big-bodied support. "We are aware that we've got a 20-year-old carrying our midfield," McQualter said. "It's not an easy position for him. As a team we have to find more people and players and ways to not rely on one person. "I thought Harley was by far our best player tonight. "I loved his team-first approach, the way he attacked the ball. He was inspirational to his teammates. I love the way he went about it." Reid tallied just seven disposals in the second half, but he managed to kick two goals when he was sent into attack in the last quarter. "It wasn't too much fun. He didn't like it," Ross said of his tagging job on Reid. "Harley had an unbelievable first half ... but I like the challenge. He's a hell of a player. "He took me to places of the ground I haven't been yet. A great talent."
