Necessary regression or a step in the right direction? Reviewing Harley Reid’s second year at West Coast

Harley Reid’s new deal at West Coast was the exclamation mark on an ordinary year. After going from the hunter to the hunted, how should we assess the young superstar’s second Eagles year?

West Coast has officially locked away the biggest piece of its rebuild with No. 1 pick Harley Reid signing a two-year contract extension.

Reid will remain an Eagles until at least 2028, ending short-term speculation he could seek a move back to Victoria.

It’s the exclamation mark on an otherwise ordinary season for the prodigious 20-year-old.

After announcing himself as a generational talent capable of single-handedly changing games last year, Reid went from the hunter to the hunted in 2025.

Harley Reid will be an Eagle until the end of 2028 at least. Picture: Janelle St Pierre/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Faced with criticism, ill-discipline, an unexpected positional shift and more, Reid’s campaign was far from a failure.

But the rigours of AFL football exposed some chinks in the Tongala product’s armour, lessons that have provided him with a clear blueprint for the path to greatness.

EARLY CRITICISM

The foundations of Reid’s 2025 season were tarnished long before the first bounce.

A compromised pre-season put him on the back foot, giving weight to the media scrutiny that would follow him into the early rounds of the season.

It started in November with a concussion that forced him to miss West Coast’s one-to-fourth year pre-season training camp.

Reid’s summer was further hampered by inflamed scar tissue, ankle soreness and a precautionary de-loading period.

Reid had a limited pre-season. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The physical fragility didn’t go unnoticed.

“Why is his body letting him down?” SEN Breakfast regular Kane Cornes said in February “Has he done the work?

“Is he prepared? Does he have the elite habits that are required? Is his body breaking down for reasons within his control?

“Just temper your expectations I reckon of what Harley Reid is going to deliver (in 2025).”

Reid couldn’t put a foot wrong in his first season. But Cornes went early, May 2024 specifically, when he questioned Reid’s conditioning after he cramped against Essendon.

Many leapt to the defence of the Tongala product at the time. But when it became clear that Reid had returned to his second pre-season underprepared, Cornes’ view gained credence.

The roots of the second-year blues narrative had been planted and Reid’s underwhelming start to the season helped fertilise them.

ON-FIELD BEHAVIOUR

If he wasn’t flipping the bird, he was scrapping with opponents.

If he wasn’t scrapping with opponents, he was exaggerating contact.

If he wasn’t exaggerating contact, he was being fined by the match review officer.

Everyone wants to like Harley. But his ill-discipline became an issue for the Eagles this year.

In a hefty round one loss to Gold Coast, Reid drew the ire of Cornes again when he flopped for a free kick after light contact from Charlie Ballard.

“He’s going to get there in five or six years time,” Cornes implored. “The sooner this stuff gets out of his game the better.

“That’s unacceptable. That’s an embarrassing effort and he’s better than that.”

Harley Reid flips the bird to fans

Reid’s early-season struggles sparked a negative feedback loop. What came first? A lack of discipline or frustration from a low fitness base?

There’s a fine line between showman and nuisance and Reid was accused of crossing it throughout the season.

In round nine against Richmond, Reid gave away a 50 metre penalty that resulted in a late goal in a game decided by two points. He was also involved in an incident with a Tigers fan during the fourth term.

“It’s just the amount of abuse that Harley cops all the time,” coach Andrew McQualter bemused. “It’s a bit of a joke, really.

“He’s a 20-year-old kid, and every time he goes near the boundary line, he gets abused by people. I’m not sure people should be paying their money to go to the footy just to abuse young kids.”

Against the Giants in round 17, Reid was involved in a number of scuffles, starting with Ryan Angwin and GWS skipper Toby Greene in the first term and ending with multiple run ins with Tom Green.

Reid was involved in plenty of spiteful on-field moments. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“He was in the game, he was up for the fight tonight,” McQualter said post-match when he was asked about tempers flaring. “He potentially lost his attention a couple of times which we’ll keep working with him.

“He’s an ultimate competitor. If we can get every player to compete like Harley and want go about their business like that we’d be happy.”

Lip-readers also suggest he told Port No. 1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis “go back to mummy, you left after one year.”

Across 19 games, he gave away a total of 60 free kicks, an average of 3.2 per game. He also landed himself in hot water with the match review officer six times, including a $6,250 fine for intentionally tripping Port veteran Travis Boak.

Tim Watson deemed the behaviour “childish, and they’re unprofessional, and they’re undisciplined.”

There’s no doubt that some teams sensed Reid’s lack of composure and tried to exploit it.

The Eagles stood firmly behind their man.

His teammates said they had his back.

But it didn’t stop some Eagles fans turning against Reid and questioning whether the club would be better off without him.

Reid trips Boak

POSITIONAL SHIFT

By round three against Fremantle, McQualter’s hand was forced.

Reid was re-deployed to half-back to ease the pressure on him as a midfielder as he continued to build match fitness.

Former Eagles coach Adam Simpson initially anticipated Reid would start his career at half-back, following the lead of fellow top-end draft picks Nick Daicos and Harry Sheezel.

But Reid’s impact around the ball was impossible to ignore. His 448 centre bounce attendances across his first 23 games is nearly eight times more than Daicos and Sheezel combined across the same stretch.

Reid was shifted into defence in the last quarter against Fremantle and his 13 centre bounces was the third least he’s had since debuting in 2024.

First-year coach Andrew McQualter had to ask plenty of his young gun. Picture: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“He was getting some attention from (Matt) Johnson so we thought at that time the game needed something different,” McQualter said post-match. “We thought we’d try him down back.

“I think that’s something we’ll keep exploring.”

Reid’s defensive stint only really lasted three games despite racking up 25 touches against Greater Western Sydney in round four.

By round seven against Hawthorn, he was back up to 70 per cent CBAs.

In round ten against St Kilda, West Coast’s sole win of the season, Reid gave the Eagles a spark with two goals from 15 disposals.

Reid recorded a season-high 28 disposals against Carlton in round 14, demonstrating his ability to find the football against a quality midfield.

He backed it up with a strong three-week stretch against GWS (24 disposals, seven clearances, seven tackles), Port Adelaide (27 disposals, six clearances, seven tackles) and Richmond (27 disposals, two goals, six clearances).

It had quickly become evident that Reid was once again the cornerstone of West Coast’s midfield.

Nowhere was it more evident than against the Tigers when Reid ran riot in the first half, tallying 20 disposals and six clearances. Richmond deployed tagger Jack Ross in the third quarter and Reid was limited to seven disposals after that.

“We’re aware that we have a 20-year-old carrying our midfield,” McQualter acknowledged. “We need help, (and) we’re going to work hard to give him help.”

It didn’t help that Reid was without his midfield running mate and mentor Elliot Yeo, who remained sidelined with an ankle/knee issue.

“We’ve missed Yeo, without question,” McQualter said in July. “What he did for Harley last year was incredible.”

BY THE NUMBERS

The criticism that was directed at Reid was in large part due to the lofty standards he had set during his first season. But it was also evidence-based.

He averaged just 13.5 disposals and 3.5 clearances per game in the opening two rounds of the season.

By the end of the year, he was dictating West Coast’s midfield fortunes and his absence due to injury underlined how lost the Eagles are without him.

With 119 for the year, Reid finished the year as the third-youngest player to lead West Coast in clearances, behind only Chris Judd (2003) and Ben Cousins (1998).

He also had the second-most contested possession, third most groundball gets and the fourth-most disposals and inside 50s.

In some statistics, he improved. He others, he dropped off, but only marginally.

HARLEY’S WORLD

Coffee with teammates, four-wheel driving, Fortnite and his puppy Wally – those close to Reid say he has come to enjoy life in Perth.

The laid-back country kid has been spotted down at Cottesloe beach recovering after games of footy but he’s also formed strong relationships with senior Eagles players.

Reid was close with departed defender Tom Barrass and was invited to his wedding earlier this year. But he has also bonded with assistant coach and former West Coast captain Luke Shuey and has been out to dinner with him and his wife Dani.

“I remember I went for a surf with him early days with Chess as well,” Eagles young gun Reuben Ginbey said.

“They’re no good being country boys from Victoria so they haven’t seen the ocean too much.

“Harls is into his 4WD and hanging out with his mates. All normal 20-year-old things.

“He’s got more pressure on him than anyone in the comp but you’d never know chatting to him.

“He’s the most humble bloke. He’s so down to earth. He’s still got those country roots.

“I can’t wait to see him play for us hopefully next year. Hopefully he can become one of the best players in the comp. I know he can do it.”

Personally and financially, Reid’s decision to stay at West Coast until at least 2027 makes complete sense.

If he thinks he’s subject to media scrutiny now, imagine what it would be like if he played for a big Victorian club.

Reid can also have a monopoly on any brand deal in Western Australia for the next 10 years.

His burgeoning partnerships portfolio already includes the likes of Puma, V Energy, Optimum Nutrition, Blue Ant headphones, Toyota, Crown Perth and the Herdsman Market.

“He can do whatever he likes and name his price,” Will Schofield said. “In Melbourne, you’re competing against Bont and Daicos and everyone else who’s in Melbourne.

“It’s the Harley Show here in Perth.”

THE FUTURE

An ankle injury in round 20 against Fremantle prematurely ended Reid’s season but not the headlines that went with it.

Attention quickly turned to Reid’s future, one of the most significant contract negotiations in AFL history.

The go-home factor was a significant consideration with Reid given he’d have 10 suitors, including some who are already actively pitching for his services, if he decided to move back home to Victoria.

But he turned down rival offers to recommit to West Coast for a further two seasons in late August.

The young gun’s season was cut short by injury. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

In totality, the 2025 season was a definitive and challenging chapter in Reid’s burgeoning career.

It stripped away the invincibility of his debut campaign and exposed the vulnerabilities of a 20-year-old grappling with the immense pressure of being the face of a struggling football club.

For West Coast, 2025 was a lesson in managing a generational talent under an intense microscope.

For Reid, it was a reminder that raw talent alone is not enough to combat an interrupted pre-season.

For the broader football public, it’s clear that Reid and the spotlight that follows him aren’t going anywhere.

Professionalism, on-field support and discipline will dictate how far Reid can go in 2026.

Don’t argue with that.

Originally published as Necessary regression or a step in the right direction? Reviewing Harley Reid’s second year at West Coast