AFL News:West Coast Eagles sign another talented player from..
View all first-round selections; Harley Reid signs with the West Coast Eagles.
After a lengthy and highly dramatic opening night, Harley Reid was selected by the West Coast Eagles with the first overall pick in the AFL draft.
The brain trust in Perth chose to hold firm and select Reid with their first number one pick in 27 years, despite rumors that the wooden spooners would trade out of the top spot to acquire more picks as they continue their rebuild.
Retired Eagles ruck Nic Naitanui joined the versatile 18-year-old on stage after AFL boss Andrew Dillon announced the selection. The player projects as a key component of West Coast’s midfield going forward.
Naitanui gave away his number nine jersey, which Ben Cousins also wore while he helped the team win the 2005 Brownlow Medal and the 2006 Premiership.
Though Reid claimed to be “pretty laidback” about the attention surrounding him and was the clear favorite, he acknowledged experiencing butterflies before his name was called.
Colby McKercher of Tasmania was selected by North Melbourne in second place, while Gold Coast matched a bid for Jed Walter, another Allies player, at third pick.
With their second pick, the Kangaroos selected Zane Duursma, the brother of Xavier from Essendon, and Hawthorn selected small forward Nick Watson to complete the top five.
The Adelaide Crows successfully arranged a trade with GWS to acquire pick eight and sign West Australian defender Daniel Curtin, but the Giants’ selection of Allies small forward Phoenix Gothard at pick number twelve was the first major surprise of the draft.
The West Coast faces a formidable rebuilding task. This is where they ought to gaze beyond the draft.
The news of Shannon Hurn’s retirement on Tuesday was not shocking to many people.
Known for his penetrating kick, loyalty, unassuming demeanor, dependability, honesty, and club games record-holding, the 2018 Eagles premiership captain is quite talented.
Hurn’s choice to end a very illustrious career marks the start of what Adam Simpson refers to as a fairly rapid list transition, with Simpson predicting that the West Coast will soon have one of the youngest lists.
The rebuild is well underway, and more announcements may come as captain Luke Shuey and Nic Naitanui consider their options.
More leadership, top-tier talent, and experience will depart if the two decide to follow Hurn’s example.
When I talk about “top-end talent,” I mean their choices from their different draft years.
The Eagles have only ten first-round draft picks on their roster, including Sam Petrevski-Seton, who was selected from Carlton. The three players listed above are among them.
Those who are nearer the finish line than the beginning are Andrew Gaff and Dom Sheed.
Oscar Allen and Liam Duggan are paving the way to become the team’s next skipper.
However, a significant portion of elite, A-grade talent is absent after Duggan’s name was mentioned at number eleven in 2014.
Luke Partington was the first Eagle called up in 2015; he was 28 years old and only played in six games.
A year later, Jarrod Brander—who currently plays country football for his hometown of Wentworth, New South Wales—was selected, after which went the now-retired Daniel Venables.
Before Campbell Chesser was welcomed in 2021, the Tim Kelly deal saw a ton of picks walk out the door. Most recently, Reuben Ginbey and Elijah Hewett were added.
West Coast has now made it apparent that they plan to rebuild through the draft.
This year, they have the Joker in the pack: they can either select the highly regarded adolescent Harley Reid with pick one or give it up and return several top 10 selections.
However, there’s also significant value in making a deliberate effort to find West Australians who play interstate sports.
There are football players who are stars, some who have promise, and others who are looking for better opportunities; they might do well by going back home to their comfortable surroundings.
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