Latest news with #MurphyReid
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Saints great labels Reid clear Rising Star favourite
St Kilda great Leigh Montagna says Fremantle's first-year sensation Murphy Reid should be the clear favourite for this year's Rising Star Award after another classy performance against Port Adelaide. Reid kicked four pivotal goals and collected 18 disposals as the Dockers disposed of the Power in the heavy rain at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, earning the 18-year-old his first haul of coaches votes with seven. The young gun slipped to pick 17 in last year's national draft, and Reid wasted no time making a number of recruiters regret their decision to pass over the talented Victorian. He booted an incredible four goals in six minutes on debut against the Cats in Geelong and, according to Champion Data, is No.1 for scoreboard impact, goals, and score assists while rating second for score involvements among all first and second-year AFL players. He earned his Rising Star nomination in round six for collecting 17 disposals and kicking a goal against Melbourne at the MCG. Speaking on Fox Footy, Montagna was full of praise for Reid. 'It was a great performance from Murphy Reid with the four goals, 18 disposals in the wet,' he said. 'When they say the class prevails and the talent really shines, this guy stood out like a beacon. He was able to kick four goals already the second time in his career. 'It's a very small group (who have achieved that in their first season). This is a pretty special player and for me, I think he should be the Rising Star favourite. 'Levi Ashcroft is having a great year, but I don't think he's impacting his Brisbane Lions like Murphy Reid is doing on this team.' Reid was adjudged the second-best player on the ground on Saturday in the AFL Coaches Association's player of the year award, behind only ruckman Luke Jackson, and told The West Australian the win showed the Dockers were beginning to 'mature'. 'We've felt we've competed well the last couple of weeks, and it was good to get a bit of recognition last week with a win on the board,' he told The West Australian. 'And we knew Port were going to come out hot as they did after a bit of a disappointing week, and it was great to win. 'It goes to show how mature we are as a side. They threw everything at us as we prepared for going into the game. Logan Evans of the Power closely marks Murphy Reid of the Dockers. Credit: Daniel Carson / AFL Photos 'They normally drive off a bit of emotion, and they came out ready to fire, and we feel like we took a couple of those punches and really made the most of our opportunities when we went forward. 'We're just just trying to stick to the game plan. It probably hasn't come off as much as we would have liked in the earlier weeks, but it's the same game plan we've had the whole year, and we're just loving playing in these big games.'
West Australian
22-04-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Murphy Reid: Fremantle Dockers teenager earns Rising Star nomination
It took longer than some Freo fans might have liked, but Murphy Reid has received recognition for a superb first six weeks at AFL level by earning this week's Rising Star nomination. Reid was among the Dockers' best in their loss to Melbourne last weekend, kicking a goal to go with 17 touches, eight score involvements and six inside-50s in his first game at the MCG. It continued a strong start to life at the top level for the Sandringham product, who was Fremantle's top selection at last year's draft with pick 17. Reid is the only teenager in the AFL's top 30 for score involvements, averaging almost seven per game, to go with a total of seven majors and seven goal assists on the season. Four of his goals came in a remarkable burst across just over six minutes in his round one debut game in Geelong - the third-fastest four-goal burst of any player this century. 'To get the nomination is pretty special, and hopefully I can finish the year off well,' Reid said. 'Week on week I think I've been building and becoming a lot more consistent throughout the games.' Reid paid credit to Andrew Brayshaw among his Fremantle teammates, with the 18-year-old living with the vice-captain through his opening months in the west before recently moving out to join a host family. The half-forward has become the first rookie Docker to play the opening six games of a season since Brayshaw and Bailey Banfield did it in 2018. 'The relationships are huge here at the club – obviously it's very valued,' Reid said. 'Everyone is really close, and we do a lot of things outside of footy, like dinners and stuff like that, where we all get together.' Reid said it had been a steep learning curve at the top level, but he was confident he would continue to improve. 'Playing the half-forward role, I was sort of adjusting to the names of the roles, where to run, and stuff like that,' he said. 'Then as the weeks have gone on, I've really come to it and feel really confident and comfortable now. 'In-game, the biggest learning has been being able to hold momentum and stuff like that... let the crowd do their thing and not get distracted by that.' Reid is considered among the frontrunners to be crowned Rising Star at season's end, along with Richmond's top pick Sam Lalor - who edged him out for a nomination in round one - and Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft. Should he win, Fremantle would break a tie with Sydney and Melbourne for the most Rising Stars in the award's 33-year history, with Paul Hasleby (2000), Rhys Palmer (2008) and Caleb Serong (2020) all previously being crowned the league's best young player.
Perth Now
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Reid on the rise! Young Docker earns Rising Star nod
It took longer than some Freo fans might have liked, but Murphy Reid has received recognition for a superb first six weeks at AFL level by earning this week's Rising Star nomination. Reid was among the Dockers' best in their loss to Melbourne last weekend, kicking a goal to go with 17 touches, eight score involvements and six inside-50s in his first game at the MCG. It continued a strong start to life at the top level for the Sandringham product, who was Fremantle's top selection at last year's draft with pick 17. Reid is the only teenager in the AFL's top 30 for score involvements, averaging almost seven per game, to go with a total of seven majors and seven goal assists on the season. Four of his goals came in a remarkable burst across just over six minutes in his round one debut game in Geelong - the third-fastest four-goal burst of any player this century. 'To get the nomination is pretty special, and hopefully I can finish the year off well,' Reid said. 'Week on week I think I've been building and becoming a lot more consistent throughout the games.' Reid paid credit to Andrew Brayshaw among his Fremantle teammates, with the 18-year-old living with the vice-captain through his opening months in the west before recently moving out to join a host family. The half-forward has become the first rookie Docker to play the opening six games of a season since Brayshaw and Bailey Banfield did it in 2018. 'The relationships are huge here at the club – obviously it's very valued,' Reid said. 'Everyone is really close, and we do a lot of things outside of footy, like dinners and stuff like that, where we all get together.' Murphy Reid in action against Melbourne. Credit: Kelly Defina / Getty Images Reid said it had been a steep learning curve at the top level, but he was confident he would continue to improve. 'Playing the half-forward role, I was sort of adjusting to the names of the roles, where to run, and stuff like that,' he said. 'Then as the weeks have gone on, I've really come to it and feel really confident and comfortable now. 'In-game, the biggest learning has been being able to hold momentum and stuff like that... let the crowd do their thing and not get distracted by that.' Reid is considered among the frontrunners to be crowned Rising Star at season's end, along with Richmond's top pick Sam Lalor - who edged him out for a nomination in round one - and Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft. Should he win, Fremantle would break a tie with Sydney and Melbourne for the most Rising Stars in the award's 33-year history, with Paul Hasleby (2000), Rhys Palmer (2008) and Caleb Serong (2020) all previously being crowned the league's best young player.
The Guardian
16-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Believe the hype: dazzling debuts remind us the AFL future comes fast
The high-end draft talent assembled over the weekend sounded like a band of Irish rebels on the Ballarat goldfields – Sam Lalor, Sid Draper, Finn O'Sullivan and Murphy Reid. The experts said it was an unusually hot draft, and the pick of them all delivered in round one. Reid was named the Victorian metro team's most valuable player last year but surprisingly slipped to No 17 in the draft. On Friday, never averse to hyping up young talent, the West Australian newspaper gave us '40 things you need to know about Murphy Reid'. It included such phlegmatic insights as 'nickname is Bruce', 'plays golf' and 'is elusive'. The Fremantle debutant was certainly that for six minutes on Saturday, conjuring four goals out of thin air and giving the Dockers some real momentum heading into the last change. But Geelong quickly snuffed that out. 'Reid it and Weep,' was the paper's back page the following day, a neat way of capturing the brief glimmer of hope on an otherwise dirty day. O'Sullivan is best friends with Lalor, who made a huge impression in his first game on Thursday night. North Melbourne great Keith Greig presented O'Sullivan with his jumper when he was drafted. When Greig won consecutive Brownlow medals in the mid 1970s, he was earning just $30 a game but O'Sullivan will be in clover thanks to the astronomical money that's now flowing into the game. The Kangaroos have selected midfielders in the top five of every draft since 2020, but as is coach Alastair Clarkson's way, he eased his latest prized draftee into senior footy across half-back, where O'Sullivan acquitted himself well. Several years ago, Adelaide drafted a young defender, Fischer McAsey. He was the highest draft selection in the history of the club, and he was seen as a future leader. But he didn't really want to be a professional footballer. In the press release announcing his retirement, the Crows described him as 'versatile tall Fischer McAsey.' It put a lot of pressure on everyone involved with drafting Draper, an even higher selection than McAsey at pick No 4. He's an Adelaide local and had already played senior SANFL football. His agility, his ability to spin out of trouble and his versality and vim make him the ideal addition to what has been a vanilla midfield. Draper started as the sub against St Kilda but did some nice things once given his chance and already looks a safe bet. MAKE THAT FOUR IN FOUR MINUTES FOR THE DEBUTANT 🤯Murphy Reid, remember the name 🌟#AFLCatsFreo Isaac Kako played in all the same representative teams and carnivals as these young men. But he and his family have trodden a very different track than most coming through the system these days. Kako's dad was in the Iraqi Army for a decade, an unenviable task at that point of history. Kako's first goal for Essendon was a soccer volley just as he was being crunched by new Hawthorn defender Tom Barrass, who's about 25 times the size of the small forward. I sometimes look at these little fellows and think, 'you're going to get killed out there'. But they tend to be the ones with the least fear and self-doubt. Kako is exactly what Essendon's been missing – both emotionally and structurally - a player for the fans to love but also someone reliable in one of the most important roles in the modern game. Brisbane's latest father-son selection, Levi Ashcroft, also had a dazzling debut on Saturday, and went through all the same junior pathways with the highly-touted Jagga Smith. On draft night last year, as with most clubs, there seemed to be about 100 people crammed into Carlton's Situation Room - from the coach, to the chief executive, to the scouts, to the random interlopers in navy blue polo tops. The Blues gave up a lot to secure Smith. But they considered him the pick of the bunch. His game was so assured, so neat, so perfectly suited to what Carlton's crying out for – speed, poise, leadership. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion There's an old adage in horseracing – the faster the horse, the more likely they are to blow a tendon. Thankfully, ACLs in humans don't tear according to talent. I know someone who ruptured one while decorating a Christmas tree. But Smith's injury, like new teammate Sam Docherty's in the opening round last year, was shattering for the player, for the club, and for anyone wanting to see the best athletes out there. More debutants took their turn, with Matthew Jefferson booting a goal 15 seconds into Melbourne's game against GWS and Jack Henderson dribbling his first a few minutes later. But not all have come through the traditional pathways. Sam Davidson is 23 years old and has completed five years of a medical degree, with the mandatory placements in hospitals all over country Victoria. He's doing a PhD part-time on paediatric health and both his mum and brother are paediatricians. A mad Western Bulldogs supporter growing up, he watched the 2016 premiership on toes in the standing room section. Davidson too kicked his first goal on Saturday night. Not surprisingly, they call him 'Doc'. It sure beats 'Bruce'.
