Handling Harley: Reasons Eagles will exercise caution with valuable selection
Although Harley Reid has quickly established himself at West Coast, head coach Adam Simpson hopes to control expectations for the gifted young player.
As the team manages Harley Reid’s workload during his rookie season, WEST Coast coach Adam Simpson has taken steps to temper expectations for the highly sought-after No. 1 draft pick. He stated that it was unlikely the gifted teenager would play every game this year.
After two seasons with a total of five wins, Reid’s hype has reached fever pitch this summer as the 18-year-old trains at an extraordinary level for a draft pick and gives Eagles fans hope.
Simpson said that since joining the Eagles in November of last year, the composed teenager had “meteoric rise” in both professionalism and performance. The teen was also handling the pressure and expectations well.
However, because of Reid’s aggressive style as a contested ball-winner, the Eagles would manage him by looking to rest him when necessary throughout the season and introducing him to the highest level as a half-back.
“We’re about to embark on a minimum 23 games, and to think that an 18-year-old kid could come in and play as an inside mid, I think we’ve got to be careful with that,” Simpson told AFL.com.au earlier this week.
“We want to give him a thorough examination of onball, down back, and forward down the track.
“I wouldn’t have thought that he would play every game. To some extent, we have to take care of him.
“It’s been hard to do that with our kids the last couple of years because of availability, but we can try and manage him a little bit in a way that gets him through the whole year.”
Reid’s status as the Eagles’ first No. 1 draft pick since 1996 and his impressive match simulation results, which have thrilled the new No. 9’s teammates and coaches, have contributed to the excitement surrounding him in Perth.
Along with the influx of young players who have joined the Eagles in the last three drafts, Simpson expressed his pride in the way the midfielder has adjusted to life at the highest level and changed the atmosphere in the locker room.
“He deals with pressure and expectation really well, so that is in a pretty good space,” Simpson stated.
“However, I’m really proud of how he has adjusted from being the top pick in the under-18 draft to being on an AFL roster and playing professional football.
“The question facing anyone selected for the draft is: can you function as a professional? And I’m just witnessing a meteoric rise in his approach to performance, recuperation, and preparation. He really does seem to gravitate towards it.”
While Reid has garnered the most attention, the Eagles also expect Clay Hall, a powerful midfielder who has demonstrated “top-end speed and endurance” and appears prepared to play at the AFL level following an outstanding first preseason, to make an early impression.
Additionally, Simpson expressed optimism about the potential early impact of trade and free agency additions Matt Flynn (Greater Western Sydney) and Tyler Brockman (Hawthorn), who joined the team as targeted additions to add more forward firepower and another ruck option, respectively.
Flynn is prepared to leave. Bailey (Williams) is able to play forward a little bit or we have options because of his excellent footwork and strong connection to our players, according to Simpson.
In 2023, we did not perform our best in clearing, and Bailey was not at fault. He was a young ruckman who was attempting to play in every match of the season.
“Flynn will assist with that, and the work we’re doing is already yielding some positive results in that regard.
“(Brockman) has a lot of potential. He just has to play to his strengths; he’s had a decent taste in senior football. They both have been a great addition to the group.”
