The eye-watering price Eagles will have to pay to keep teenage phenom Harley Reid
West Coast highlight reel Harley Reid is on track to receive one of the biggest pay rises in the AFL’s history, with the youngster from Monday allowed to open negotiations with the Eagles.
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West Coast sensation Harley Reid is certain to become a $1 million-a-year player and one of the highest-paid stars in the game on his next deal.
The brilliant ball-winner is on track to receive one of the most spectacular pay rises in the game’s history with West Coast already flagging its strong intentions to lock the No. 1 pick away “for as long as we possibly could”.
Rival list managers on Sunday said Reid was clearly the Eagles’ most important list asset and guaranteed to earn seven figures when his contract expired at the end of 2026.
Recruiting sources said on Sunday Reid could expect to receive 10-year offers from Victorian clubs “worth more than 15 million” considering expected increases to the salary cap.
West Coast can reach an agreement with Reid from Monday to extend his tenure at the club, but his mega million-dollar pay packet will not kick-in until the start of his fourth season in 2027.
Reid, 19, will this season play for $130,000 in his base contract, $4000 per match, plus receive incentives for awards such as Rising Star ($20,000), All-Australian squad ($20,000), top-three best and fairest ($30,000).
Plus, Reid has enormous scope to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional service agreements as the most marketable face in the game in Western Australia.
His first ASA contract can kick-in in his third season, giving West Coast a slab of up to $1.2 million to give to Reid for his marketing work from 2026.
Reid was outstanding in the Western Derby demolition job over Fremantle on Saturday night and was unlucky not to win the Ross Glendinning Medal after gathering 19 disposals and three goals, one week after torching Richmond with 27 touches.
The goal kicking midfielder’s brilliant form comes amid continued speculation about whether North Melbourne should have tanked in the last round last year instead of toppling Gold Coast in Hobart in order to secure the No. 1 pick.
Instead, North snapped a run of 20-straight losses to defeat Gold Coast by 35 points and slid back to pick two.
The Kangaroos tried multiple times to prise the No. 1 pick off West Coast in the trade period but were unwilling to part with picks two (Colby McKercher) and three (Zane Duursma) to get the deal done for Reid.
Reid and his agent, Nick Gieschen from Connors Sports, have continued to brush aside any speculation the Tongala product would suffer from homesickness in the west, with Reid tugging at his jumper after a superb goal against Sydney Swans in Gather Round in Adelaide.
Former Collingwood and Carlton matchwinner Dale Thomas said on Sunday Reid’s form, toughness and marketability would catapult him ahead of Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos in Tasmania’s chase for mature talent.
St Kilda great Leigh Montagna said Reid had made “West Coast relevant for the whole AFL industry”.
“We are all watching West Coast Eagles games now. They are must-watch TV, the West Coast Eagles off the back of one young man,” Montagna said on Triple M.
“I was thinking about the analogy with LeBron James and the pressure he came into the NBA as “The Chosen One” to exceed what the expectations were.
“It’s only early, but this bloke is actually living up to the hype that everyone thought was ridiculous and impossible and he has played only six games of footy.”
Geelong great Steve Johnson said Reid was “the complete package”.
“He is the new prince of Perth, let’s be honest,” Johnson said.
“He doesn’t have a weakness in his game.
“He has got speed, power, skill and he can mark the ball in a contested situation.
“I think he deserves to be (West Coast’s) highest-paid player (on his next deal).”
West Coast chief executive Don Pyke said the club was already keen to get the cogs turning with Gieschen on a contract extension.
“We’re not sitting on our hands, let’s put it that way,” Pyke said.
“It really comes down to what he’d be comfortable with.
“We’d clearly like to get him for as long as we possibly could.
“We think he’d be an important part of what we’re doing going forward.”
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