Harley Reid nominated for the 2024 AFL Rising Star award in round 5

Harley Reid’s Rising Star nomination was never going to take too long. He talks about his stellar performance against the Tigers, coming face-to-face with Dusty and where the Eagles are at.

Harley Reid starred against Richmond in West Coast’s first win of the season. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

West Coast young gun Harley Reid says he is far from a finished product and is committed to helping return the struggling Eagles to where they “need to be”.

Last year’s No. 1 draft pick went into beast mode in just his fifth AFL game on Sunday, logging 27 disposals, seven clearances and a goal as a key driver in West Coast’s 39-point win over Richmond.

The performance earned Reid the AFL Rising Star nomination for round 5 — an award which he is the clear favourite to win at the end of the year.

The 18-year-old said that while he was growing more comfortable at AFL level each week, he still had plenty of work to do to become the player he wanted to be.

“I feel like I’ve only played five games, man,” Reid said.

“I’m just trying to get better each week. Obviously I’ve started to find bits of my footy where I can start to express myself at AFL level. But I’m still just trying to define myself as a player in the big league.”

Harley Reid celebrates a goal. Picture: Getty Images

Reid has been leaning on the experience of fellow midfielders Elliot Yeo and Tim Kelly as he settles in at West Coast.

“Yeoy, for me, he’s been huge,” he said.

“I think you see on the weekend just the camaraderie we have between each other. Same goes with TK. Being a Geelong supporter (growing up), I loved watching him play. I couldn’t thank them both enough. They’ve been huge for me to take my game to the next level.”

Another player Reid grew up watching closely was fellow Bendigo Pioneers product Dustin Martin, who he came face-to-face with for the first time against the Tigers.

During the third quarter, Reid gave Martin a ‘don’t argue’ as he tried to break clear at a stoppage – something the Brownlow Medal winner is himself famous for.

“I think I just grabbed the ball and looked up to push someone off and then after that, I kind of realised it was him,” Reid said.

Reid was huge against the Tigers. Picture: Getty Images

“I was like, ‘oh no’.”

Reid kicked his first AFL goal a week earlier against Sydney, tugging at his Eagles’ jumper in celebration.

Many viewed the action as a way of showing his investment at the club, with Reid confirming he was all-in on helping the Eagles climb back up the ladder – and quickly.

“That was just my first goal in the Eagles jumper and I was just giving it a bit to show that we’re here to play,” he said.

“We’re not here to show that we’re in a rebuild stage or anything. We’re not waiting to build. We’re doing it now. We’re trying to play our best footy right now.”

Arriving at West Coast as the No. 1 draft pick in the two-team city of Perth brought with it intense expectation, with the boy from the small Victorian town of Tongala attracting unprecedented levels of media attention since being drafted last November.

However, Reid said he had not let that get to him.

“I just live in the moment and just think more in reality,” he said.

“I think week-to-week and I try to focus on how I can get better and how I can do my bit for the team. So I’m just pretty relaxed with that, to be honest.”