Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd has called out the leadership of West Coast for not providing Harley Reid with the best possible environment, as he deals with ongoing discipline issues.
The 20-year-old has put the pieces together in the second half of 2025, and was clearly their best player in their round 18 loss to Port Adelaide.
However, he gave away six free kicks in the game and got into multiple heated stoushes with Power star Jason Horne-Francis.
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Reid has given away more free kicks than any other player in the competition this season, averaging 3.1 per game.
And Lloyd believes it is a damning reflection of the lack of leadership around the former No.1 draft pick, both on and off the field at West Coast.
Harley Reid and Jason Horne-Francis go at it. Fox Footy
“I can’t believe it’s still at this point where, he was their best player on the weekend so a big tick for that, but he gave away six free kicks,” Lloyd told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“He has given away the most free kicks of any player this year by a long, long way.
“Whether it’s coaches, I’m talking senior players too, everyone, that he is still fighting and scrapping all day long.
“All it is is ‘we love what you’re doing, your football is on a perfect trajectory, but look at this free kick count, we’re struggling to win games and this is not helping us win games and the energy you are wasting Harley, what are you doing?’.
“I’m sure they’ve tried, but if they haven’t it needs to come.”
Nine AFL journalist Sam McClure asked whether the lack of support for Reid was an “indictment on West Coast”, to which Lloyd agreed that it was.
Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel disagrees, however, saying there isn’t a lot the Eagles could do right now about their lack of leadership, given Tim Kelly has fallen away and Elliot Yeo hasn’t played this season due to injury.
Yeo almost single-handedly took it upon himself to protect and defend Reid at stages throughout 2024 as the side’s midfield leader.
Elliot Yeo pulling Harley Reid away from a scrap in 2024. Nine
Bartel says people need to take a deep breath and understand that the 20-year-old needs to be given time to find his way.
“If he got into a scrap (playing for Collingwood), there’d be a half a dozen Collingwood players who would step in the way,” Bartel said.
“Elliot Yeo was a great support for him last year, but he can’t get his body right.
“We’re talking about really experienced, hardened players, he’s playing a bash and crash style of football and we’ve got to remember he’s only 20.
“We’re asking for an old head on young shoulders. He’ll mature and he’ll get better. The free kicks he’s got to sharpen up on, but when you look across that West Coast side, who is stepping in for him?
“Who’s providing the grunt and filling the void he’s trying to fill?”
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Harley Reid reacts to a hostile member of the crowd in March. Nine
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter admitted that Reid needs to become a more disciplined player after the loss to Port Adelaide.
“It’s really challenging, because I love the way he goes about it – and I’ll say that continuously,” McQualter said.
“If you have all the players being as competitive as he is, you’re on the right track.
“But he clearly crossed the line too many times tonight. We’ve had that chat with Harley already, he knows it.
“He’s going to play up to that line every single week – and that’s where we want him. We want it to be a dance with the line that he doesn’t step over it.”
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley was more dismissive of the youngster’s issues, choosing to focus on his strengths.
“I actually spoke to Harley Reid after the game. I love the way he plays footy, I honestly love the way he plays,” Hinkley said after the match.
“He’s two years younger than (Horne-Francis), they look similar to me when I watch them play footy.
“Yeah they don’t always get it right – I’ve said this about (Horne-Francis), he’s going to make some mistakes. I’m not talking about Harley, but I can talk about Jason and where he’s at in his development.
“I think the Eagles are pretty excited about what’s coming.”
