Fremantle Dockers forward Murphy Reid compared to Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury as Rising Star calls increase

West Australian

2 days ago

Exciting Fremantle forward Murphy Reid has been compared to 400-game superstar Scott Pendlebury as calls grow for him to win the AFL Rising Star award following a stunning western derby performance on Saturday.
Reid finished third in Glendinning-Allan Medal voting behind Hayden Young and Andrew Brayshaw after a superb game where he had 23 disposals, one goal and 15 score involvements. He was the first player to have 15 score involvements in a derby since 2012 when Matt Rosa collected 43 possessions for West Coast.
Teammate Jordan Clark said Reid's ability to read the play, create time and make his teammates better reminded him of Pendlebury.
'It sounds like a bit unrealistic comparing him to Scotty Pendlebury but he is a player like that who is not blessed with super speed but he sees the game and is very sharp in his mind,' Clark told The West Australian.
'He sees the game very well and he's very clean. I think he did watch a lot of Scotty Pendlebury growing up, so he's a very classy little player. I think he's got a lovely mix that works for him.
'I don't want to use it loosely and it's probably disrespecting Scotty Pendlebury in a way because he's one of the greatest players in the game.
'But you watch him and he's in positions where you think someone shouldn't get out of that, but he does. He's not a fast bloke, he's not massively built, he's just clever and classy. I think he thinks and sees the game ahead before people see what is going to happen.'
Pendlebury is on track to break Brent Harvey's all-time games record next year after playing 419 games.
A dual premiership star, Norm Smith medallist, former captain, six-time All-Australian and five-time best and fairest, Pendlebury's skill, composure and ability to get himself out of trouble have made him one of the game's greats.
Reid has looked perfectly at home in the AFL since kicking four goals in one quarter on debut against Geelong. He also kicked four goals against Port Adelaide.
The Victorian is third favourite with bookmakers to be named the Rising Star behind Adelaide's Daniel Curtin and Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft, but Dockers coach Justin Longmuir said he'd done everything to warrant winning the award.
'If I was picking it, I'd pick him. If you looked at consistency across the course of the year, he would have been the most consistent first-year player,' Longmuir said.
Curtin rocketed into favouritism after a huge month for the Crows.
He was best on ground against Richmond with 26 possessions and two goals to kick start a wonderful run of form.
The West Aussie also had 26 touches and one goal against the Western Bulldogs, then collected 20 possessions and kicked a goal against Gold Coast. He received AFL Coaches' Association votes in all three of those games.
Curtin performed well against Port Adelaide on Saturday night too, finishing with 22 possessions and four clearances.
Drafted at pick eight in 2023, Curtin had to be patient as the Crows looked for his best position. He was either subbed on or off in four of his seven games last season and played as tall defender or half-back before finding his niche on the wing this season.
Ashcroft spent the majority of the season as the favourite after stepping straight into Brisbane's team during their premiership defence.
He had 25 possessions on debut and was influential in the first QClash of the season with 29 disposals. Ashcroft is averaging 19.5 touches and 1.8 clearances per game while also kicking 10 goals for the season.
But after making a splash on debut, it's been Reid's consistency that has been the hallmark of his game.
The young Docker has had more disposals than Curtin, kicked more goals, had more score involvements and only slightly trails the Crow for tackles and clearances.
Reid is on the verge of becoming the first Docker to kick 20 goals, have 20 goal assists and 100 score involvements since Matthew Pavlich in 2015.
He currently has 19 goals, 17 goal assists and 106 score involvements with four home-and-away games remaining and the possibility of finals. Only Andrew Brayshaw, Shai Bolton and Caleb Serong have had more score involvements than Reid at Fremantle this season and the Dockers were thrilled when he signed a new contract until the end of 2029.
The Dockers selected Reid at pick 17 in last year's national draft after watching him excelling for Sandringham Dragons. He spent time in the midfield during the pre-season but quickly showed his talent as a forward which has allowed him to become an important part of the team.
While his class has shone out, Glendinning-Allan medallist Hayden Young said it was only a matter of time before Reid becomes a midfielder and plays alongside himself, Brayshaw and Serong in the centre-square rotation.
'He's got beautiful touch, he's super elusive and he's a very crafty player,' Young said.
'I thought he was outstanding for a bloke who's not that big. He's very hard to tackle.
'He's going to be a great player for us and I'm really happy with the brand of footy he's playing at the moment. Hopefully he can keep developing. I'd love to see him get through the midfield in the years to come.'