Hot Topic Harley Reid v Draft - Win-win?

[Runk]

according to all the boffins he's not interested in coming to a loser club so he'll be staying at a loser club

Yeah but our loser club has a pool next door so.....eat that Eagles

 

[Petrify]

Hawthorn “obsessed” with luring Reid from West Coast

There is frenzied interest in the young gun.

www.sen.com.au

Essendon ruling themselves out because we don't want to pay $1.5m a year is a massive change in list strategy given we were the ones rumoured to be offering $2m/year

 

[BomberManU]

negotiate a contract that's $600k a year lower than anyone else would pay.

On paper, yes.

 

[beev]

Hawthorn “obsessed” with luring Reid from West Coast

There is frenzied interest in the young gun.

www.sen.com.au

Essendon ruling themselves out because we don't want to pay $1.5m a year is a massive change in list strategy given we were the ones rumoured to be offering $2m/year

Fair enough if money is the same and he prefers to go to Geelong or Hawthorn. Why wouldn’t you. However, if it is true that we aren’t willing to stump up the cash but Hawthorn are willing to, this annoys me. They have a much better playing list and more players who need a pay rise yet we aren’t willing to meet the market. Doesn’t make sense.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Caro all over the place then goes on to say .."Others say that Richmond and Melbourne are having a crack." covering all bases. Sounds like manager trying to get as much as they can out of Eagles

 

[Lore]

Hawthorn “obsessed” with luring Reid from West Coast

There is frenzied interest in the young gun.

www.sen.com.au

Essendon ruling themselves out because we don't want to pay $1.5m a year is a massive change in list strategy given we were the ones rumoured to be offering $2m/year

More likely to be journalistic error than a u-turn in list management.

Like the difference between reporting “average of 1.5m per year” and “X years on up to 2m a year” which would be a number of years with one single year of 2m but a lower average.

 

[thebigboy]

Considering what is being talked about is a 2 year deal with options attached with West Coast, I'm more than happy to load up on the draft now & bring him home at the end of 2027.

Feels like the idea of him leaving at the end of 2025 has been getting less and less every week, so this shouldn't really come as a shock.

 

[Lore]

Selected quotes from an interview with Brad Scott on the ABC last weekend, in response to a question about Harley Reid:

Well, I think the simple answer to that, Mick, is that there wouldn't be a club in the competition that wouldn't have interest in a player of that caliber. You know, so, but I'm, my view on this is that, you know, probably my view has to change, because the reality is if you're not in the game these days, you're out of it. And, you know, my view has always been that players who are contracted to other clubs are committed to that club until they say otherwise. You know, and I haven't heard anything from Harley's management group that suggests he wants to be anywhere else other than West Coast. So until that time comes, we'll respect that. But if there was a time that like any player declared that they were on the move, we want to be in the game like everyone else.

More here: https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...-scott-playing-the-kids.1333569/post-88828587

From ABC AFL Daily: AFL Saturday: 'It's certainly unfair to lay the blame at the feet of one person', 19 Jul 2025

 

[Beerfish]

I call bullshit. Everyone knows Brad types in blue.

 

[Jack Richards]

Yea nah. 1.5mill a year for a bloke who has given way as many free kicks as he does, no thanks.

 

[Keystone agony]

Considering what is being talked about is a 2 year deal with options attached with West Coast, I'm more than happy to load up on the draft now & bring him home at the end of 2027.

Feels like the idea of him leaving at the end of 2025 has been getting less and less every week, so this shouldn't really come as a shock.

End of 2028 would be 2 years

 

[andleanback]

Yea nah. 1.5mill a year for a bloke who has given way as many free kicks as he does, no thanks.

1.5 is the new million. Get used to players getting huge deals, they’ll only get bigger. To get a Harley Reid type talent you have to pay big. And tbh 1.5 mill in 5-6 years won’t be that bad

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Hawthorn “obsessed” with luring Reid from West Coast

There is frenzied interest in the young gun.

www.sen.com.au

Essendon ruling themselves out because we don't want to pay $1.5m a year is a massive change in list strategy given we were the ones rumoured to be offering $2m/year

sounds like sanity prevailed

this kid isn't worth anywhere near 1.5m a year, let alone 2!

 

[doug85]

Tom Morris reported that Reid will either stay at WC on a two year extension @$2M/year with an option for a 9 year extension. Or he comes home.

Apparently WC don’t want to do the extension at that money.

 

[blitzer]

I've wavered with Harley Reid. Not so much whether he'll be a great player or not but more so on whether its worth us burning through all our draft capital to go after him. I think we might be a bit early in our rebuild process for that. Not even considering whether its realistic that could even get him.

I personally think we should take our picks to the draft and give us a good base of talent to build around (along with seemingly successful last 2 drafts). Then potentially the next year and particularly the year after we can consider giving up more resources to bring in players.

I wouldn't be against a free agent pickup - but if we are losing Draper its probably not worth it because of the offsetting that would occur.

 

[Nifft]

I've wavered with Harley Reid. Not so much whether he'll be a great player or not but more so on whether its worth us burning through all our draft capital to go after him. I think we might be a bit early in our rebuild process for that. Not even considering whether its realistic that could even get him.

I personally think we should take our picks to the draft and give us a good base of talent to build around (along with seemingly successful last 2 drafts). Then potentially the next year and particularly the year after we can consider giving up more resources to bring in players.

I wouldn't be against a free agent pickup - but if we are losing Draper its probably not worth it because of the offsetting that would occur.

I agree. If we were further along and he was the missing piece that gives you a chance to challenge then it'd be worth it. But it's way too early for us to be spending that much. I hate to say it but Hawthorne are right in that window and he could help them get a premiership.

 

[Chief Hopper]

I've wavered with Harley Reid. Not so much whether he'll be a great player or not but more so on whether its worth us burning through all our draft capital to go after him. I think we might be a bit early in our rebuild process for that. Not even considering whether its realistic that could even get him.

Same.
All those long term injuries we've had may not perform much at all when they come back early to mid next year.
A bunch of top 10 players that have petered out with form or injury.
We also have a bunch of mature players that have been underperforming all year.
Reid would do us well, but he could also turn out to be like the Kelly trade at WC and hold back the teams progress.
Alternatively, if we traded for Josh Dunkley in 2022, I dont think our team would be any better off now.

 

[King Patty]

sounds like sanity prevailed

this kid isn't worth anywhere near 1.5m a year, let alone 2!

Carey was on a million a year in the 90's/00's. Reid is easily worth it. *Could become best in the comp.

We haven't had a player like that since - Hird

 

[Beerfish]

So I'm hearing it's a hard no from us.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Carey was on a million a year in the 90's/00's. Reid is easily worth it. *Could become best in the comp.

We haven't had a player like that since - Hird

mate Reid is nowhere near either of those two rofl

 

[naraku]

His last two games have been his best of the year after his interrupted preseason and general dickhead-ary.

Price needs to be right at the trade table and his contract.

I'd happily offer a 1st from this year and next year but not 3 firsts or more. No more than 1.5M as absolute max.

So, we can hit the draft if the reports are true.

 

[Yoda_]

His last two games have been his best of the year after his interrupted preseason and general dickhead-ary.

Price needs to be right at the trade table and his contract.

I'd happily offer a 1st from this year and next year but not 3 firsts or more. No more than 1.5M as absolute max.

So, we can hit the draft if the reports are true.

im about the same as you. For the first time since forever, the recruiting department is picking the right ty[es of draftees. Having as much collateral in the draft should be invested. If we could maintain a draft hand and get Reid then im getting interest

 

[Petrify]

Sounds to me like Vozzo accidentally implied we're his preferred club?

Essendon CEO calls Harley Reid's manager over media comments

Harley Reid’s future has been a major talking point over the past few weeks, with media outlets suggesting the young superstar doesn’t want to go to Essendon if he leaves the Eagles. Essendon CEO Craig Vozzo was asked about the comments and said they were “not true” and that he contacted Reid’s...

www.3aw.com.au

 

[Unfazed]

He'll fit perfectly in our rehab team. They are short of a midfielder.

 

[JayJ20]

I may be in the minority, but I think Reid is exactly what we need. We'll be lucky to draft anyone with his talent. With Koby Bewick coming in a couple of years, we'd have the perfect balance of class and aggression. Reid, Bewick, Durham, Caldwell, Martin, Duursma on the wing. That's a good mix if you ask me.

And here comes the opinion that will get me banned from the board.

I don't care who we have to trade to make that happen, even if it is Merrett. WHAT?!
Yes I said what I said.

Merrett at some point deserves team success. His career at Essendon is looking more like Nathan Jones than anything else. It's a travesty that he is on the end of 90-point losses while spuds are challenging for flags.

It's bittersweet, but we have to think long term if we're going to rebuild. We need to continue building through the draft, but we also cannot afford to bypass talent like Reid if he is interested. This is the only solution that allows us to do both.

That way, we have the ability to retain first round selections to keep building around players like Roberts, Kako, Caddy etc before Tassie come.

And before anyone says "but we will be so bad without him for x amount of years", we're completely uncompetitive 12 years into his career.