Harley Reid's sad admission about emotional toll of maiden AFL season as West Coast contract decision looms

Eagles young gun Harley Reid says he has tried his best to let his footy do the talking in his maiden AFL season but admits the pressure put on him has taken its toll. The 2023 No.1 draft pick attracted unprecedented levels of hype and excitement all over the country this season with the midfielder attracting headlines for almost everything he did on and off the field - both good and bad.

Reid appeared on the back page of newspapers more times than he played in his maiden season and while if anything he exceeded expectations it hasn't been easy for the youngster. Reid's hype reached fever pitch when he kicked what ended up being the goal of the year after bursting out of a centre bounce stoppage against Melbourne in Round 10, taking three bounces and kicking an extraordinary goal with Demons star Christian Petracca hot on his heels.

And while throughout the year Reid seemed to handle all the pressure fine, he admitted on Wednesday that it hasn't always been easy to cope with the weight of expectations. "It was pretty hard at times, I feel,” Reid said on Wednesday, speaking at an event as a Caulfield Cup Carnival racing ambassador.

"For me, I tried to do all I could with my footy and let my footy do the talking, but it’s pretty hard. Ninety-five per cent of it’s mental and I think if you can win the mental game and go out there feeling confident. The best part is, when you’re out there, you’ve got no worry in the world and you’re doing what you love, and you feel that why you’re here is what you’re doing right out there. That was kind of what I tried to have in my mind and go out there and have fun."

The 19-year-old knows as much as anyone about the positives and negatives of social media and says to protect his sanity he has tried to avoid seeing what is being said about him as much as possible. “I think, my generation, a lot of it’s social media and, these days, it’s all on social media. So, I think that was something that was very hard to control and came with a lot of pros and cons, I guess,” Reid said.

“For me, it was probably more just escaping from that world and staying in reality and staying in the moment.”

Eagles hold talks with Harley Reid over improved contract

West Coast list boss Matthew Clarke revealed earlier this week that he's been in regular discussions with Reid’s management over a contract extension. The club has reiterated throughout the 2024 campaign that retaining the services of the former No.1 pick is a club priority. And earlier this week Clarke told The West Australian that the club is keen to get a new deal over the line "sooner rather than later" but added they won't put any extra pressure on the Victorian product to make a quick decision.

It is expected that Reid will stay at West Coast in the immediate future. However, earlier this year Reid admitted his 19th birthday was the worst he's ever had due to him being away from his family in Victoria. If Reid decides he wants to move back home, there would be no shortage of Victorian clubs interested, although a lucrative new deal would likely convince Reid that the Eagles are right for him at least at the current stage of his career.

Reid's next contract is expected to see him join the million-dollar club. But earlier this year 7News Perth's Ryan Daniels reported the fee could be closer to $2 million a season. "Semi-informed gut feel would be a couple of years extension, maybe go to five years (total). Free agency would obviously come at the eight-year mark, he’s not going to go beyond that, that’s pretty clear,” Daniels previously said on Triple M. "The money is going to be significant, it’s going to be more than a million dollars a year. That’s just the market-dictated value and then also the salary cap is going to increase, the new CBA.

RELATED:

• AFL fans react as John Worsfold makes sensational West Coast return

• Sydney Swans boss makes telling call amid John Longmire speculation

• Leigh Matthews rips AFL move that dudded Swans in grand final

"I know some people are saying $2m a year, I don’t think it will quite get to that in the early stages, but at some point in his career, I think Harley Reid will be earning $2m a year.”

Dustin Martin was the highest-paid player in 2024 - on a deal worth $1.35 million a season. However, with his retirement, for 2025 currently the highest-paid player is Nat Fyfe who is on $1.15 million a season. It means if Reid pens a new deal before the 2025 campaign he incredibly could be the highest-paid player in the AFL in just his second season.