AFL Draft 2023: The Harley Reid-Daniel Curtin call set to shape first-round, trade period

Every potential bid for boom prospect Harley Reid is linked to a rare talent from Western Australia – Daniel Curtin. Go inside the chase and trades that could shape the AFL Draft.

AFL Draft 2023: Harley Reid or Daniel Curtin?

In a week when Brad Scott declared “the hype is real” after watching Harley Reid’s Essendon VFL display, the chase for the No.1 pick truly kicked into overdrive.

North Melbourne list boss Brady Rawlings tried to drive up the market for defender Ben McKay when he threatened to match below-par free agency offers, clearly hopeful of a No.3 compensation pick as the Roos pursue Reid.

Melbourne continues to assess its draft collateral, given the Fremantle first-rounder it secured in the Luke Jackson trade will likely be the No.4 overall pick, with the Demons dreaming of a Reid-Petracca mid-forward rotation.

And West Coast’s own improved performance, before the capitulation against Fremantle, has it only a single win away from handing that prized No.1 pick to the Roos — with games against the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide to come.

And, yet, those same recruiters who have adored Tongala mid-forward Reid for so long have another love-child.

A Matthew Pavlich clone in Claremont’s Daniel Curtin, a 195cm talent being spruiked as the best kid out of WA in a decade.

WA product Daniel Curtin is drawing rave reviews from recruiters. Picture: Paul Kane/AFL Photos

Victorian small-forward Nick Watson and Tasmanian mid Colby McKercher are still top-five hopes, while Suns academy forward Jed Walter might have even been the No.1 pick if he was on the open market instead of off to Damien Hardwick’s Gold Coast.

But every potential bid for Harley Reid is linked to Curtin in some way, given the left-footer has shown he can effortlessly play as an intercept defender, clever forward or big-bodied mid.

As West Coast prepares to meet him — and clubs like Melbourne and Essendon go ga-ga over Curtin – the question for North Melbourne and the Eagles is whether the brilliant triple-threat fits their needs more than Reid?

In the second-last round of the Under-18 championships. Curtin dominated as a key position defender against Vic Country, hauling in 11 marks to go with 23 possessions and 470 metres gained at 89 per cent kicking efficiency.

In the final game of the carnival, he slotted into the midfield and racked up 27 possessions, eight clearances, seven tackles, 11 contested possessions and five score involvements.

Then, on the weekend, he made his WAFL senior debut, back as a defender, and had 21 touches, 12 kicks – at 92 per cent efficiency – and a million classy touches.

The flow-on effect is significant.

As a top three pick — and some clubs would take him at pick one — Melbourne knows West Coast would never do a trade deal with the Demons that gave away pick one, without guaranteeing they could still take the home-grown star in Curtin.

Will the Eagles go for Curtin over long-time No. 1 pick favourite Harley Reid? Picture: Graham Denholm/AFL Photos

For West Coast, the ability to split pick one and turn it into Curtin and another top-15 pick has massive appeal, given Curtin would give 12-plus years of service as an Eagle.

The Roos could end up securing pick 3 as Ben McKay free agency compensation, which could hand them picks two and three in the draft yet again.

They could offer pick 2 and the Power’s first-rounder they have in their keeping (from the Jason-Horne Francis deal) for Reid.

But, instead, could they just let Reid go to the Eagles then take Curtin at pick two as McKay’s defensive replacement, and a point-of-difference mid?

Then small forward Nick “The Wizard” Watson at pick 3?

Then also take another elite kid with the Power first-rounder that should fall somewhere between picks 15-18?

The majority of rival clubs believe the AFL will hand Tasmanian indigenous draftee Ryley Sanders to the Roos as a quasi priority pick by officially linking him to their NGA academy, then allowing North Melbourne to pre-list him.

The Roos midfield is already stacked and Sanders is a tough inside mid.

So, if the Roos got their hands on Sanders, it would only strengthen their case to take key-tall Curtin instead of giving the world for yet another mid in Reid, albeit a once-in-a-generation onballer who can push forward.

Interestingly, despite their admiration for Curtin, West Coast are yet to meet the teenager in person, happy to wait until the back-end of the year before their first face-to-face.

But Curtin is a rock-solid individual, who oozes leadership and is sure to win over the Eagles.

Curtin was Western Australia’s MVP at the under-18 carnival. Picture: Graham Denholm/AFL Photos

Nick Watson is another young gun in the top-five mix. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Last year, the Eagles split pick 2 for Reuben Ginbey (pick 9) and Elijah Hewett (pick 14) in the Jason Horne-Francis trade.

The Eagles would now believe the Ginbey-Hewett deal was a huge win-win, even if Hewett’s personality was quirky enough that some clubs, including themselves, had to be convinced he would mature in an AFL environment.

He has now found his feet and shown enough flashes of brilliance as a clever mid-forward for the Eagles to replicate that tactic if they can secure a massive deal for the No.1 pick.

GWS could have had a stacked hand for a Reid deal but Harry Himmelberg stayed – so there is no free agency compensation).

The Giants have risen from 15th to eighth, and even their Richmond first-rounder is only at pick 5.

Picks 5 and 10 is a great haul, but probably not enough for Reid, given it won’t get West Coast Curtin.

Amazingly, West Coast were prepared to offer the retiring Luke Shuey another season despite his broken body (he declined) and are happy for Nic Naitanui to play on alongside plus-30s Jeremy McGovern, Jamie Cripps, Jack Darling and Andrew Gaff.

With a new house and strong roots in Perth, key defender Tom Barrass is staying, too, so he won’t secure them a first-round pick as part of their rebuild.

West Coast is keen for ruck support – Essendon’s Nick Bryan and Western Bulldog Jordan Sweet are persons of interest for Adam Simpson’s side even after Bailey Williams’ strong season as the first ruck.

West Coast needs a batch of young emerging stars, not just one player, to turn around its fortunes.

With Curtin in their backyard, there is a powerful motivation to listen to those bids for Reid, who should still believe he could end up anywhere given the twists and turns sure to come ahead of November’s national draft.