“Scary to think about”: Reid “in the best position anyone has ever been” for first $2m contract

West Coast celebrity Harley Reid has only played three above average games of AFL football – but he’s already been linked to the biggest contract the game has ever seen.

Reid was unlucky not to win the Glendinning-Allan medal for best afield in the derby on Saturday night, tearing Fremantle to shreds when the game was on the line early on.

One of the most impactful performances seen this year, 13 of Reid’s 19 possessions were contested, he kicked three goals and had a team-high seven clearances.

Reid has been showered with praise from several of the AFL’s biggest names in the aftermath, with former Swan and Saint Dan Hannebery leading those calls.

“When Nat Fyfe was absolutely humming in 2015 and won his Brownlow… Harley Reid was doing things on Saturday night that Fyfe was doing back then, in my opinion,” Hannebery told SEN’s Sunday Crunch Time.

“Some of the marks, his burst for stoppage, it was almost like Fyfe in his heyday and the kid is already a top five or top 10 player already in the game. He’s been playing for six weeks.

“It’s going to be scary to think what he can do in the coming months and years.”

Reid celebrated his 19th birthday in Eagles colours on Wednesday, has now strung together three game-changing performances by splitting his time between the midfield and forward line.

West Coast are now reaping the rewards after taking a punt on the Victorian country product, given reports in his draft year that he didn’t want to head west.

And while Reid’s contract has him wearing blue and gold until 2026, the Eagles will undoubtedly look to extend that deal.

It’s not uncommon for top draftees to re-sign early in their careers and Reid’s management, Connors Sports, typically keep their clients at their draft clubs for at least the first six years of their careers.

With the salary cap set to hit a record $17.7 million in 2025, 9News’ and SEN regular Tom Morris can foresee Reid becoming the first $2 million player.

“What is Harley Reid worth?”, Morris asked on SEN Breakfast.

“I don’t think he’s going to sign anytime soon, but he’s already locked in for three years. Another five would take him to free agency.

“The salary cap is booming, I believe that West Coast could afford to pay him an extension of $10 million over those extra five years, bearing in mind those five years are the ages of 21 to 26, when, based on what we’ve seen, he’ll be at his absolute best.”

Breakfast co-host Kane Cornes concurred: “I agree with you that he’s worth that, but what does that do for their prospects of winning a premiership when there’s only so much money to go around?

“He’s made the club relevant again, the extra dollars he’s going to bring in through the commercial aspects of his brand is extreme, so you can’t put a price on him.

“He’s in the best position that anyone has perhaps ever been in when it comes to renegotiating a contract.”

There were 19 players on seven figures in 2023, with Dustin Martin likely this year’s biggest contract on upwards of $1.2 million.

Reid’s best performances have come in two surprise wins for West Coast, who are now out of the bottom four for the first time since Round 3 last year.