Since the middle of last year, thanks to some outstanding performances at the national championships as a bottom-age player, Harley Reid and his family (and Tongala) have been the focus of national media attention.
Months of speculation about the future of Reid has heightened recently with the uncertain futures of West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson and chief executive Trevor Nisbett.
The momentum Reid built last year has only grown in 2023 as he secured a second All-Australian selection and impressed at VFL level with Carlton and Essendon.
Speculation about whether Reid actually wanted to join the club was also widespread, something his mother Vanessa said was a media “beat up’’.
“There hasn’t been a lot of talk at home about where Harley will be playing next year,” she said on Saturday, well before being aware of the result of the Eagles and Kangaroos match 24 hours later.
“We prefer to wait until it happens.’’
While admitting she and husband Mark had never actually been to Perth, she said it wouldn’t be an issue if the youngest of their three children ended up playing with the Eagles.
“We always knew Harley had something special. What will be, will be,” she said.
The Reid sisters, Jasmine, 22, and Hollie, 19, along with mother Vanessa almost managed to escape D-Day (draft day) talk for an afternoon when they took part in Kyabram Football Netball Club’s Ladies Day.
Not long after finishing their A-grade netball commitments, the Reid sisters, and their mother, made forgetting football a priority as they joined the female-only crowd upstairs in the Wilf Cox Community Centre mid-way through Saturday afternoon.
Though completely different sports there are similarities between the siblings, Harley’s renowned physicality and strength in the contest reminiscent of his highly physical elder sister, while his running ability and ball skills are characteristics shared by Hollie.
While the family had no fixed opinion on where Harley landed, there would have been a slight celebration in the township of Tongala - where several of his biggest fans would have been hoping to keep the star junior in his home state.
Talk of Harley Reid “going west’’ changed significantly on Sunday afternoon when the Eagles produced a thrilling upset win against Western Bulldogs.
The win lifted them off the bottom rung of the ladder and handed (for now at least) the first pick at the draft to North Melbourne.
And while we don’t know for sure that Reid’s name will be called out at number one at the late November national draft, he will likely stay in Victoria — with the Kangaroos.
All the North Melbourne team needs to do to secure the number one selection is lose to the Gold Coast Suns in Tasmania this weekend.
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