Football’s greatest love story: Yasmin Duursma and Harley Reid prep for their Brownlow debut
AFL’s hottest young star Harley Reid and childhood sweetheart AFLW gun Yasmin Duursma are set to make their Brownlow debut on Monday night — their story the makings of a fairytale.
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Meet football’s greatest love story.
AFL’s hottest young star Harley Reid and his childhood sweetheart, AFLW gun Yasmin Duursma are stepping out of their footy boots and onto the Brownlow red carpet for their big debut.
It’s certainly been a year of debuts for the No. 1 draft pick of 2023, who is up for goal of the year after a sensational first season with the West Coast Eagles.
The boy from dairy farming community town Tongala in Goulbourn Valley met Yasmin, a country girl from Foster near South Gippsland when he was not even a teen, playing with her younger brother Zane Duursma as they made their way through the ranks up to the big league. Quick sidenote: Zane was No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft.
Yasmin was the year older and becoming a star player in her own right. The footy family have produced four stars with older brother Xavier Duursma playing for Essendon, Zane now with North Melbourne and youngest brother Willem already an early favourite for the 2025 AFL draft.
After trading from Port Adelaide to Carlton last season, Duursma told the Sunday Herald Sun that she and Harley decided to “give it a go.”
“We met when he was 12 and I was 13 and he and my brother have been friends ever since and so have Harley and I,” Duursma smiled shyly in a way only young love can produce.
“So when I moved back home from Adelaide and it was on the cards we decided to give it a go, and start talking and dating,” she said. “Then it ended up he got drafted away to West Coast and moved over, but we thought we might give it a go and keep going.
“It’s not really that hard to be honest, they play in Melbourne quite often so I see him a lot more than I thought I would, it’s been fun.”
Harley, looking the goods in a suit from Menz Club, also said he first met “Yas through her younger brother”.
“They are a very talented family and I was lucky enough to play with Zane all throughout my juniors and knew Yas for awhile.
“My first year has had some huge opportunities come my way and I’m keen to keep getting involved and keep striving for better and it will be a good opportunity to experience my first Brownlow with Yas.”
Playing princess for the day, their script reads like a fairytale.
The AFL and AFLW young couple fix each other’s hair and giggle together holding hands, as they appear in their first ever fashion shoot in the lead up to the Brownlow Award ceremony, at red carpet king Jason Grech’s North Melbourne atelier, who just like in Cinderella, whipped up the strapless burgundy gown like a fairy godmother the night before on a creative spurt.
“It wasn’t really on my cards this year to be going to the Brownlow but that’s okay,” Duursma laughed, herself now in mid-season playing for Carlton in the AFLW.
“This is not something I would normally never do, but it feels nice and Jason and Alicia Marshall who is been helping me as a stylist have made me feel like I know what style looks best to make me feel more confident than nervous.
“It’s certainly not my forte going down a red carpet but at least I’m with Harley and can grab onto his arm and know I will be fine.”
“It’s a little bit of a princess dream come true.”
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