Harley signs, now what comes next for West Coast?
The biggest signature in the AFL has been inked on the dotted line. It's time to get on with getting good.
The albatross has left the Eagles’ neck.
Harley Reid has finally committed to the short extension that had been flagged months ago, meaning the club and everyone involved can move on with their lives.
The make-up and numbers fluctuated but in the end it’s an extra two years - through to the end of 2028 - at a figure that will make him one of the highest-paid players in the league.
People in the know - in this case my Hard Ball Gets co-host Ryan Daniels - are putting it around the $2 million mark per season.
The money can be split over three years. Next year he’s still on his draft contract but qualifies for an additional services agreement which gives the clubs some wiggle room to move the money around.
Is he worth that right now? Probably not. Is it fair value? Absolutely.
Reid is the one young player at West Coast who would you would bank on to develop into an out-and-out A-Grader.
He had an ordinary year spattered with moments of brilliance, but you only have to cast your mind back 12 months and he was ripping teams apart as a first-year player with the eyes of the football world watching his every move.
After struggling for fitness all year, and now with the contract sorted for the medium-term, I’m banking he’ll hit round one next year with a vengeance.
And West Coast will more than wash its face on the investment. The fans have a reason to put their bums on the seats. The corporates have something to rally around. The membership pipeline stays full.
Reckon you’ve seen too much of Harley already? Be ready - now that he’s locked in for three seasons he’ll be the face of everything that comes out of the club.
There’s one catch, if you could call it that. The timeline has been set.
Get better by 2028 or get ready to do this all again.
Its a long road but at least the foundations have now been laid.
For a club that admittedly leaned into its rebuild too late, there has been more to like this season - despite a dismal one-win record - than there has been since 2020.
They were bad. But they were bad for a reason. They exposed pretty much every kid on the list and now have a far greater idea of who they can move forward with.
Admittedly they probably unearthed more role players than superstars, but it takes a squad to win a premiership.
Harley, Reuben Ginbey and Jobe Shanahan are the three young players who have a big tick next to their name. They go into this year’s national draft with picks one and likely two - meaning they are likely to add another two names to that list. Cooper Duff-Tytler and Willem Duursma are the two names linked to those spots.
One more elite ball winner in the midfield and you’re well on your way to having the core of your next contending team in the locker room.
Get it right and this No.9 will be bigger than Ben.
And if for some reason you still want to hate on a pure footballer who rips into every contest he sees…
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