Harley Reid caught out flipping off heckling Brisbane Lions fans

A West Coast Eagles star could find himself in hot water with the AFL after he was caught delivering a one-finger salute to rival fans.

West Coast star Harley Reid may cop a please explain from the AFL after being caught out flipping off Brisbane fans on Sunday.

The Eagles burst out of the blocks against the Lions but couldn’t hold on as Brisbane mowed them down to claim the 14.10 (94) to 11.9 (75) win.

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As the Lions came storming home, the frustration began to boil over and Reid took it out on a section of fans who let him have it in the fourth quarter.

With a little under six minutes to play and the Eagles down by 17 points, Reid got the ball on the halfback flank as he looked to find a teammate on the wing.

Shortly after he kicked the ball forward however he was cleaned up by Lions ruckman Oscar McInerney with a downfield free kick being paid.

As Reid collected himself after the off the ball hit, Lions fans began letting him have it with one offering up some tissues over the fence.

The 19-year-old wasted no time by delivering his middle finger in response to the fans offer of the tissues.

Watch the bird flipping moment in the video player above

Lions fan offers up some tissues. Credit: Fox Footy

Reid didn't want them. Credit: Fox Footy

“There’s the middle finger to the crowd,” Fox Footy’s Kelli Underwood noticed amid the confrontation.

“Well a bloke’s trying to give him some tissues, seriously — it’s play on” Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson added.

“(He was just reminding them he was) the number one pick,” Fox Footy caller Corbin Middlemas joked.

The gun midfielder will almost certainly attract attention from the AFL, who have previously sanctioned similar actions. Retired great Dustin Martin was fined $7,500 ($5,000 suspended) for flipping off GWS ruck Shane Mumford, however a secondary action from the three-time Richmond premiership player also contributed to the initial fine being so high.

Reid is likely to cop a fine from the AFL. Credit: Fox Footy.

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan was right to be “suspicious” about West Coast’s woeful round-one performance, with the Eagles giving the Lions an almighty scare.

While the premiers dominated the second-half, the Eagles - who were beaten at home 87 points the previous weekend by the Gold Coast Suns – were the better team early and at one stage in the first-quarter led by 31 points.

West Coast’s improvement wouldn’t have surprised Fagan, who had been wary of a much-improved Eagles display.

“I’m pretty suspicious of round-one results,” the Brisbane mentor said on Saturday.

In humid conditions, the Eagles led by 24 points at quarter-time and by the same margin at halftime.

However, the Lions then gained control, kicking 10 goals to the visitors’ three in the second-half to start their premiership defence with back-to-back wins.

Held to just 10 disposals in Brisbane’s round-one win over Sydney, Lions co-captain Lachie Neale bounced back with a game-high 35 possessions.

Callum Ah Chee and Logan Morris each kicked three goals for Brisbane, while debutant Will McLachlan and Eric Hipwood chipped in with two majors apiece.

Liam Ryan booted three goals for the gallant Eagles, while teammate Tim Kelly finished with 29 disposals.

The Lions roared back to life in the second half. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

For the second week in succession, the Lions were slow out of the blocks.

Having conceded the first four goals of the match in their four-point win over Sydney in the grand final rematch, Brisbane’s start was even worse against a fired-up Eagles outfit that led 32-1 after booting the match’s first five majors.

It took until 27 minutes into the first quarter for Brisbane to kick a goal, with Logan Morris’ impressive effort from the forward pocket finally giving the home crowd something to cheer about.

Before that, the Eagles were in complete control, with Tyrell Dewar kicking an early brace and co-captain Oscar Allen, who has been linked with a move to Brisbane next season, also among the West Coast’s first-quarter goalkickers.

By quarter-time, the clumsy Lions had already turned the ball over 19 times.

“They’re flustered at the moment,” Lions’ three-time premiership Alastair Lynch told Fox Footy.

Lynch also praised the Eagles for their early success in limiting the impact of Lions co-captain and key defender Harris Andrews.

“Harris Andrews has only had one disposal and no intercept marks … that is a big win for the West Coast,” Lynch said.

- with Marco Monteverde, Newswire

Originally published as Harley Reid caught out flipping off heckling Brisbane Lions fans