AFL draft: Harley Reid helped off with concussion in AFL Academy clash against Carlton
Likely No.1 draft pick Harley Reid had to be helped from the field after suffering an injury blow.
Likely No.1 draft pick Harley Reid had to be helped from the field after suffering a head knock during an exhibition match on Saturday.
Reid looked dazed as he was helped off by trainers during the third quarter of a match between the Australian under-18 team and Carlton’s VFL side at Marvel Stadium.
The 18-year-old had gathered a ground ball when he was clipped high in a tackle.
He was helped down to the rooms for assessment and did not return.
Reid had logged 13 disposals and two intercept marks before the injury, starting the match in the midfield before being pushed into defence in the second quarter.
He read the play well behind the ball, gained meters for his team with his creative run and kicking and was excellent with his pressure and tackling.
Reid had spent the previous two weeks playing with Carlton’s VFL side.
If he is deemed to have suffered a concussion, he would miss Bendigo Pioneers’ next Coates Talent League match against the Geelong Falcons next Sunday.
Vic Country’s first match of the under-18 national championships is against South Australia on June 18.
ACADEMY COACH’S CALL ON REID
AFL Academy coach Tarkyn Lockyer says likely No. 1 draft pick Harley Reid is “not a finished product” yet but has been handling the attention on him well in the early part of the year.
Recruiters believe Reid is a clear standout in this year’s draft pool and that any team wanting to trade for the No. 1 pick to secure him would potentially have to give up three other top-10 picks in return.
Reid has spent the past two weeks playing in the VFL with Carlton, where he has been particularly impressive across halfback.
However, the 18-year-old’s teammates will become his opponents on Saturday when he plays for the AFL Academy side in an exhibition match against Carlton’s VFL side at Marvel Stadium.
“Like every player that comes out of the out of the talent programs, he’s certainly not a finished product,” Lockyer said of Reid.
“He’s got opportunities to continue to grow in his game and we’ll support all of his other programs with that as well. He’s on a journey but he’s going pretty well. Half of the job is actually trying to stay out of his way a little bit. He’s a clear talent so you’ve got to let him do his thing.”
Lockyer said Reid had been largely unfazed by the attention he was receiving and was firmly focused on each of his football programs this year.
“He’s been terrific,” Lockyer said.
“The one really good thing about Harley and all of the programs that he’s associated with — Bendigo, Vic Country and the AFL Academy — is that we’re all in really good alignment on where he’s at.
“He’s got some great support around him and we feel like we’re setting him up pretty well.”
The AFL Academy side is playing a second exhibition match this year, having also taken on Port Adelaide’s SANFL side during Gather Round last month.
“One of the main philosophies around the Academy experience is learning,” Lockyer said.
“With the first one, everything that’s associated with the game is just a little bit different. There are opportunities to grow and put some strategies in place to better prepare the second time around.”
Saturday’s match kicks off at 4.10pm and will be played as a curtain-raiser to Carlton’s AFL match against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium that night.
WATSON TRIALLING NEW ROLE
The most exciting small forward in this year’s draft pool is set to again feature across halfback for the AFL Academy team on Saturday.
Eastern Ranges product Nick Watson played a half in defence for the AFL Academy team during its match against Port Adelaide’s SANFL team last month and impressed.
Watson spent much of his juniors playing as a midfielder, before settling as a crafty goalkicking small forward in recent years.
“The majority of our group are midfield-forwards,” Lockyer said.
“So we have to try and give players opportunity to experience something else. With Nick, we had a bit of a look at it through the Eastern Rangers in the Coates Talent League. He played a little bit of halfback there and I was keen to use him there. We saw his clean hands, decision making and ball use by foot. I thought he looked pretty comfortable back there so I wouldn’t be surprised if he sits behind the ball again at some stage on Saturday.”
Watson kicked five goals across his first three games for the Ranges this season, after averaging 2.6 goals a game from seven matches in his bottom-age season last year.
ROGERS BOLTING UP DRAFT BOARDS
The Gold Coast Suns may have to match an earlier than expected bid on Jake Rogers in this year’s national draft after a hot start to the year from the midfielder.
The Suns Academy member – who is also part of the AFL Academy squad – has been one of the early-season bolters.
Across three Coates Talent League matches, he has averaged 26 disposals, 7 tackles, 6.7 clearances, 5.7 score involvements and 145 ranking points.
Rogers also impressed for the AFL Academy side in its first exhibition match against Port Adelaide’s SANFL side last month, racking up 12 disposals, seven tackles and a goal.
“Jake’s had a fantastic pre-season,” Lockyer said.
“Like all of the Gold Coast Academy players that are in the AFL Academy, he got the opportunity to pretty much do a full pre-season with the Suns. So the physical preparation and the learning and the training standards that Jake was exposed to have clearly set him up to be pretty successful so far this year. He’s got speed and he values working both sides of the ball in offence and defence. He had some extraordinary numbers of tackles. He’s one that’s certainly pretty exciting for us.”
STEVENS LEADING FROM THE FRONT
He has played just a handful of games this year after returning from an ACL injury that sidelined him for almost 18 months, but highly-rated draft prospect George Stevens hasn’t missed a beat so far this season.
Stevens logged 16 disposals in his VFL debut for Geelong a fortnight ago, after producing some big games for the Greater Western Victoria Rebels in the first three rounds of the Coates Talent League season.
Viewed as an inside midfielder in the long-term, Stevens has been playing a new role across halfback in the early part of the season as he has returned to footy and built his match fitness back up.
He will again play for the AFL Academy side on Saturday, after racking up 19 disposals and six rebound 50s in the side’s first exhibition match against Port Adelaide’s SANFL side.
“He stepped back into the Coates League in the early rounds and performed pretty well and he’s feeling quite confident,” Lockyer said.
“Over the past couple of weeks he got an opportunity to go and play with Geelong’s VFL team, which was terrific. The other thing with George is his leadership and standing within the group developed really quickly. He’s got an ability to bring people together so his impact on the group has been quite significant.”
Stevens hails from South Warrnambool Football Club — the same country club that produced star Brisbane Lions midfielder Hugh McCluggage.
His brother, Archie Stevens, is playing VFL football with Carlton.
TASSIE MIDFIELDER EXCITING
A new Tasmanian AFL team is generating added interest in talent from the Apple Isle and one of the best this year is Colby McKercher.
The midfielder has made an impressive start to the season, having been likened by recruiters to being a quicker version of Essendon captain Zach Merrett.
In his first four games for the Tasmania Devils in the Coates Talent League, McKercher has averaged 31.3 disposals, 8 score involvements, 6 clearances and 0.8 goals for a total of 129 ranking points.
He was also one of the better players for the AFL Academy side in its first exhibition match against Port Adelaide’s SANFL team and will feature again against Carlton’s VFL side on Saturday.
“Colby is a really exciting talent,” Lockyer said.
“His season last year as a bottom-ager for the Tassie Devils was terrific. He got an opportunity to play for the Allies and then this year he’s taken it up another step again. He’s certainly one player that knows how to find the football and he’s got great speed and really good awareness as well. He’s certainly one to keep an eye on.”
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