‘Different from under-18s’: Teen star Harley Reid’s candid performance review
They say pressure makes diamonds, and there’s been plenty of it for this West Coast Eagles teen footy sensation.
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Nineteen-year-old AFL rising star Harley Reid could only chuckle when asked about the tonne of attention he received during his inaugural season with West Coast Eagles.
“Nah, nah, it’s been good,” this year’s number 1 draft pick sheepishly laughed.
Reid had become a mainstay on back pages across the country before his career even officially began, especially in his new home Perth, a one-paper town.
“HE’S THE GOLDEN BOY” the West Australian boldly declared in a January back page splash, over a month before Reid even debuted.
“HARLEY JUDD,” another January back page asserted with a comparison to club great Chris Judd.
Compromise, sacrifice and, of course, the critical attention of fans and the fourth estate are promised in spades for any elite Australian sports prospect.
But Reid, who for the most part has lived up to the immense hype, the intense media scrutiny was compounded with a move to the other side of the country, away from family and friends in Victoria.
“I think for me, it’s probably just moving across (to WA) away from family,” he told news.com.au when asked about his most significant off-field changes as the 2024 season whittles to its final two rounds.
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“Never being away from family is a big change, obviously, like your first time, but it’s gone so quick, and it’s not long till we get back and have a little break.
“It feels like I got drafted yesterday.”
After a brief chat this week as he was put to work promoting UFC 305 in Perth, Reid seems keen to brush aside any negative aspects of becoming one of the sport’s most talked-about figures.
Instead, he gives off an aura of a youngster grateful for the chance to shine on the field and soak up life as an AFL player.
“It’s been good. I probably wouldn’t really say there have been any major challenges, but I suppose it’s just the attention outside footy,” he said.
Reid spoke more emphatically when the discussion turned to footy.
He hazarded a guess at what first-class footy would be like, but when asked about his expectations versus the reality of entering the AFL, Reid revealed there had been a few surprises.
“I think probably the speed of the game,” was one slight shock, according to Reid.
“The atmosphere we get at home games over here it’s something that makes you keen to get out there and have a run around because you just know the crowd is going to be up and about – that’s obviously different coming from under-18 football.”
He added that “the schedule and the training and the extra stuff you got to do, both on and off the field,” exceeded his expectations.
Reid has stunned the AFL world numerous times with explosive physicality and dominant performances against higher placed sides like Melbourne and finals contenders Fremantle in this season’s first Western Derby.
Par for the course for any top draft pick, Reid joined the West Coast Eagles at a significant low point.
His first season in the AFL has coincided with a slight shift in West Coast’s fortunes.
The embattled Western Australian team, who finished as wooden spooners in 2023, has secured five wins so far, with the last two coming consecutively against the Gold Coast and North Melbourne.
The star youngster, however, danced around whether he thought he had been a driving force in the sides’ marginal but promising shift.
“I’ve been personally trying to get the boys up and about and, yeah, see if I can get a vibe going throughout the group to keep striving to get better each week … we just want to win,” he said.
“I think we wanted to (finish our rebuild stage) now, and we’re going to continue to do it as quick as possible.”
It’s been a year of improvement but also turmoil, namely, the club’s shock mid-season split with long-time premiership coach Adam Simpson.
For Reid, Simpson had set sturdy foundations for the season, while interim coach Jarrad Schofield has found extra levers to pull.
“Simmo was great at the start,” he said.
“I think Schoey has backed us in, and we’ve shown, over the past couple of weeks, we can play four-quarter footy and be consistent as a whole.”
Reid named the veterans he hopes will keep pushing his game on the West Coast squad, including one whom he has been a long-time fan of.
“I’ve looked up to (Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo and Tim Kelly) a lot of them, obviously, and the contribution they’ve had in AFL world,” he said.
“TK was actually someone that I’ve always looked up to be being a Geelong supporter growing up.
“I always loved how he went about it when he first came across to Geelong – it’s pretty cool now to run out beside him.”
“I think they’ve done really well with the staff and the culture it creates over here because it’s a great environment.”
West Coast will carry a two-game winning streak into their penultimate match of the 2024 season against Carlton at home, with an opportunity to extinguish the Blues’ fast-fading hopes of making it to the finals.
Originally published as ‘Different from under-18s’: Teen star Harley Reid’s candid performance review
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