AFL swoons over No. 1 pick Harley Reid’s ‘mindblowing’ play

No. 1 pick Harley Reid has wowed footy fans with a ‘Dusty-like’ highlight play in a glimpse that suggests he will live up to the hype.

Harley Reid with the Dusty-style don't argue.

Harley Reid’s AFL career is only two games old but the footy world has already been given a glimpse of what the No. 1 pick could be.

West Coast finally embraced the concept of a rebuild in the off-season, parting ways with a handful of veterans while sticking with coach Adam Simpson despite winning just five games over the past two seasons.

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With key forward Oscar Allen sidelined for eight weeks with a knee injury, Eagles fans were desperate to see Reid’s potential and he hasn’t disappointed yet.

West Coast lost their Round 2 clash to the GWS Giants on Sunday by 65 points, but one passage of play in the first quarter showed why Reid has earned comparisons to Richmond champion Dustin Martin.

Receiving the ball near his defensive 50 — Reid sold a dummy, did a one-two handball exchange with Elliot Yeo before palming off Giants midfielder Stephen Coniglio with an old fashioned ‘don’t argue’ fend.

Watch Harley Reid’s highlight in the video player above.

Harley Reid looks the real deal. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

He showed flashes of brilliance against GWS. (Photo by James Worsfold/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

After dancing up the wing at Perth’s Optus Stadium, Reid was eventually clobbered by GWS ruckman Kieran Briggs.

In the first quarter on Sunday, Reid had seven disposals and three score involvements to show flashes of his potential.

He was happy to get into shoving contests with Giants veterans Coniglio and Josh Kelly.

For the second consecutive week, Reid dropped off a little, and finished with 17 disposals.

Sports broadcaster Daniel Garb wrote on X: “Harley Reid is mind blowing for a 2nd gamer. He’s happy in Perth but WCE need to get better fast to keep him after 3 yrs.”

The Eagles have some work to do. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

He turns 19 next month and Reid is already dominating the conversation in Perth, with his sponsor Puma taking out a full-page advertisement on the back of the West Australian newspaper before his debut.

Reid is contracted until the end of the 2026 season, and West Coast will be hoping they can start to climb up the ladder by then and give the Victorian a reason to stay.

It is the first time in the history of the Giants they have won each of their first three games and the first time they have beaten the Eagles at Optus Stadium.

— With NCA Newswire

Originally published as AFL swoons over No. 1 pick Harley Reid’s ‘mindblowing’ play