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It\u2019s often been said Harley Reid could be a flight risk. The teenager expected to be the No.1 pick in this year\u2019s draft laughs when that is put to him. He does not like flying.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunny you say that, I\u2019m not a huge fan of planes,\u201d Reid told this masthead. \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be a part of wherever I go. You\u2019ve got to fly, so get used to that real quick, I hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
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There is intrigue over which club likely No.1 pick Harley Reid wants to play for.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Eddie Jim<\/cite><\/p>\n Whether Reid is indeed a flight risk is no laughing matter. It\u2019s a question many in football are asking and one West Coast, who hold the top pick in this year\u2019s draft, must find an answer to. Only Reid really knows.<\/p>\n The 18-year-old from Tongala, 25 kilometres from Echuca in Victoria\u2019s Goulburn Valley region, has said he will play for whoever takes him next month, even if it means leaving the family home for the first time and heading to the other side of the country in Perth.<\/p>\n If the Eagles are not convinced Reid will stay, they can trade away pick one for multiple picks, presumably to use on West Australian top-five prospect Daniel Curtin. In a sign of who else might be interested, Reid said the Eagles, North Melbourne, Hawthorn, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney have all interviewed him.<\/p>\n Harley Reid is expected to be the No.1 pick in this year\u2019s draft.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Eddie Jim<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t care where I go,\u201d Reid said at the AFL draft combine at the MCG, where the leading prospects for this year\u2019s draft are being interviewed by clubs.<\/p>\n \u201cFor every single one of us here, just to have the opportunity to get drafted. If you go pick one, 50 or whatever, at the end of the day you\u2019ve still got the same opportunity. And wherever the club is, it\u2019s a huge opportunity and experience to have.<\/p>\n \u201cWith me moving, it\u2019s going to be a challenge either way. It\u2019s gonna be a challenge moving to Melbourne. It\u2019s a four-hour flight plus a 2\u00bd, three-hour drive to Melbourne to get home [from Perth], or 2\u00bd hours down the Hume [Highway].<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy to do, like it\u2019d be a lot more convenient and easier, but again, I don\u2019t care where I end up at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Such has been the attention on Reid this year, there was a stir in August when he \u201cliked\u201d a post on Instagram questioning Adam Simpson\u2019s future as Eagles coach. Reid, who is regularly stopped by members of the public for photos, said he had pressed \u201clike\u201d without even reading, but the optics of him seemingly endorsing such a post at a time when there were doubts over his preparedness to head west were not ideal.<\/p>\n \u201cI scroll on Instagram, I\u2019m liking before I even look at the posts,\u201d Reid said. \u201cI would never look at the post that I like. I got the message stop liking posts.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, surely I\u2019ve just liked a post, what\u2019s so bad about it? But then I look into it and I read the post and what it was about, it probably wasn\u2019t the best idea.<\/p>\n \u201cI hadn\u2019t read it. I didn\u2019t even know that post existed until that come out.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t good, was it?\u201d<\/p>\n Clubs are naturally wary of the \u201cgo-home factor\u201d when it comes to draftees from interstate, particularly with their early picks. No club can afford a repeat of the Jason Horne-Francis scenario when the No.1 pick from 2021 returned home to South Australia after just one season with North Melbourne.<\/p>\n Reid has a surprisingly strong view on the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cI probably didn\u2019t really look into it too much, but obviously one year, it\u2019s not good,\u201d Reid said. \u201cYou\u2019ve had the opportunity to go pick one, they\u2019ve picked you up and whatever pick you go to a club for like one year it\u2019s a bit of a stretch.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got to settle in for a bit, and Adelaide 45 minutes on a plane, it\u2019s nothing huge. I\u2019m pretty sure you could settle in and I\u2019m pretty sure the resources, and support a club would show for you and have for you to get past that stage and get to a stage where you feel comfortable with the people around you.\u201d<\/p>\n Reid speaks of the romance of being part of a side that wins a flag after starting from rock bottom, but is envious of Nick Daicos, the No.2 pick in 2021, winning a flag in his second year, and Brisbane\u2019s Jaspa Fletcher playing in a grand final in his first.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be there when they\u2019re on the bottom, to be there when they\u2019re on the top and holding that premiership cup, that\u2019d be perfect,\u201d Reid said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut again, like you\u2019d also love getting drafted to Collingwood, just played a grand final. You get in there, go for another flag. You know what I mean?<\/p>\n \u201cI live for the big moments. I\u2019d love to play finals in my first year. That\u2019d be something I\u2019d set to be a part of. We look out on the MCG, the biggest game of the year is played here.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look around, it was like 96,000 here on the weekend, it\u2019d be huge to run around out there with the atmosphere and the noise. I feel like that\u2019s another thing that motivates me to get going.\u201d<\/p>\n Reid speaks with deep fondness about his hometown and local football club. Playing for Tongala this year, he said, \u201cwill always have a place in my heart\u201d. Being the No.1 pick would be as much an honour and privilege for himself as it would be for his home town.<\/p>\n \u201cBehind the scenes, a lot of people have done so much for me,\u201d Reid said. \u201cTo go pick one for my community, for me, for my family, I reckon it\u2019d be something that I\u2019d thrive on and everyone would thrive on because of the support they\u2019ve done for me, it\u2019s like they\u2019re on the ride with me.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything I do for myself is for them. For everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n