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Adam Simpson's message to Harley Reid as AFL world melts down over 'crazy' scenes

The 19-year-old was on fire as West Coast took down Melbourne in a stunning upset.

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read

West Coast coach Adam Simpson is trying to keep a lid on the Harley Reid hype, sending a simple message to his young phenom to enjoy his footy above all else. Reid once again sent social media into meltdown on Sunday as he produced a number of dazzling highlights in West Coast's 16.9 (105) to 10.10 (70) win over Melbourne.

The 19-year-old produced a goal-of-the-year contender when he burned Christian Petracca at a centre clearance before kicking truly from 45 metres out after a run that included three bounces. The No.1 draft pick sent the crowd wild again in the third quarter when he produced his trademark fend-off - but this time he got both Petracca and Clayton Oliver with either hand within seconds of each other.

Harley Reid in action for the West Coast Eagles.
Harley Reid produced a goal of the year contender in a masterful display against Melbourne. Image: Fox Footy/Getty

The young gun then produced another show-stopping moment later in the quarter when he used his body to bump off his opponent before gathering the bouncing ball with one hand to sprint away and kick his second goal. Even before he was drafted, Reid was being touted as a superstar in the making and drew comparisons to Dustin Martin.

The hype has only continued to grow after he made his debut earlier this year, but Simpson is doing his best to keep a lid on things. "He's carrying a heavy weight at the moment," Simpson said after Sunday's game.

Harley Reid and Christian Petracca.
Harley Reid fended off Christian Petracca in a trademark moment for the West Coast youngster.

"I'm really trying to be cautious about how much attention he gets. But when he plays like that - it just looked like he had fun tonight, and that's our goal for him - to enjoy being an AFL player. When he's enjoying the game for what it is and playing to his strengths, then we're all happy. And if he plays well, we'd take that, but if he doesn't, then that's OK too. He's 19."

Simpson said other players are feeding off Reid's energy too. "We're trying to connect with that crowd as much as we can, and I think it's a real advantage," Simpson said. "Harley obviously is the new toy, he's pretty good to play with."

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Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin was also full of praise for the 19-year-old after he dominated the Demons. "Clearly he's an incredibly exciting player and I can understand why there's so much hype around him," Goodwin said.

"He's so dynamic and he can hit the scoreboard. We had some plans in terms of what we wanted to do with him. But once you put him in space in a stoppage situation where there's some space, he's incredibly talented, he's quick and he's powerful, and he gets the ball out into space. He's someone that we didn't handle well and I'm sure a lot of clubs looking at how they can handle him best."

Jake Waterman kicked five goals and Tim Kelly racked up 30 disposals and eight clearances to lead the Eagles on Sunday. But it was human highlight reel Reid who stole the show and lit up social media.

with AAP