Why frustrated Reid will cost himself Rising Star award with dangerous tackle

No. 1 draft pick Harley Reid won’t be able to win this year’s Rising Star award if he’s suspended for a dangerous tackle on St Kilda’s Darcy Wilson in Saturday’s loss at Optus Stadium.

The young Eagle tackled the Saint late in the third term and slammed his opponent into the turf while they were airborne, causing Wilson to hit his head on the way down.

Kane Cornes is certain Reid will at least receive a one-game ban, which will deem him ineligible for the award he was an almost unbackable favourite for.

“He will be out of the Rising Star running, there’s no way he can get away without a suspension for this dangerous tackle,” Cornes said on AFL.com.au's The Round So Far.

“We’re thinking it’ll be careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, which will be one game.

“We’ve seen Harrison Jones get one game for a far less severe tackle than that. I thought it was really reckless and really dangerous. 

“He’s lucky Wilson didn’t get a concussion from that because you can see him hit his head clearly.”

With the next frontrunner in Western Bulldogs forward Sam Darcy also being suspended for a hit on Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard on Friday night, the two favourites for the award won’t be able to claim the prize come season’s end if Reid is banned.

Cornes pondered whether there should even be a ‘fairest’ element to the Rising Star as a player will now win the award that wasn’t the best young player in the competition across the season.

“Sam Darcy has been suspended, Harley Reid will be suspended … it’s a huge story to come out of that game,” Cornes said.

“The further question is, should that be an element in the Rising Star? Should there be a ‘fairest’ element to it? It’s a bit farcical that we’ll get to Rising Star night and Reid or Darcy can’t win it.

“It’ll be a bit like Steven Bradbury at the Winter Olympics coming home late and claiming it. Whoever wins it won’t really feel deserving of the award.”

Looking at the Wilson tackle more closely, Cornes believes it came about in a moment of frustration for Reid who was being tagged out of the game in the second half by Marcus Windhager.

After dominating in the first half with 17 disposals, Reid finished on just 20 touches once the tag went to work and Cornes expects other sides to also put work into the young superstar when they face the Eagles.

“He was on fire in the first half, he was the run that really lit the fuse for them with seven clearances in the first half,” Cornes said.

“But this is what happened in the second half … he had three touches, no clearances and one tackle.

“I cannot believe why teams that play against West Coast (don’t tag him) … Windhager was magnificent, four free kicks he gave away in the second half.

“He’ll have a target on himself now, this is AFL footy … I think you’d be stupid if you play against the Eagles and you don’t tag Harley Reid from what we saw.”

The MRO’s decision on the Reid case will come through on Sunday evening (AEST).

If he misses one game he’ll be unavailable for the Eagles’ clash against the Kangaroos at Optus Stadium on Saturday.