"Too scared": Cornes takes aim at Reid and Eagles

Harley Reid might find himself in hot water with the AFL after cameras caught the West Coast youngster giving a middle finger salute to a rival fan in the crowd.

The 19-year-old appeared irked by a Brisbane Lions supporter offering him some tissues after a bump from Oscar McInerney.

Speaking after the 14.10 (94) to 11.9 (75) defeat at the Gabba, West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said the gesture was "just a bit of fun".

"We try to bash the theatre out of this game sometimes, don't we?" he said.

"He's just having a bit of fun. Sometimes that's good for the game, I think."

The gesture and McQualter's comments sparked a stinging response from Kane Cornes on SEN's Fireball.

“How about it’s unacceptable?" Cornes said.

“I’m calling him Harley Plead, he just pleads for free-kicks. What are they (West Coast) gonna do here?

“They’re too scared to coach him hard. I said this last year and everyone lost their minds.

"If they coach him hard they’re fearful that he will leave and won’t accept the feedback that he needs.

“Even after the match McQualter said ‘oh no it’s theatre’.

“How about no, it’s unacceptable. It’s unacceptable for a player to be as distracted as he was and give away seven free-kicks, to not touch the footy in the first quarter.

“It’s a huge issue, it’s the biggest elephant in the room facing that club since the early 2000s.

It’s been a tricky start to the 2025 season for Reid who moved west as the No.1 draft pick in 2023.

Against the Lions he finished with 15 disposals, six tackles and seven clearances, however, he conceded the same number of free kicks.

Asked for his thoughts on Reid’s performance, McQualter added: "I thought he competed hard. He had a bit of a quiet first quarter, but he just kept competing.

"I thought he had some big influence on the game at different times today.

"Harley's still learning the game, he's still learning to be the best footballer he can be and the best teammate he can be and we're going to really support him and work hard in that space with him."

Making obscene gestures has previously been deemed worthy of a fine by the AFL. In 2019 Dustin Martin was hit with a $7,500 bill (with $5,000 suspended) after he gave Shane Mumford the finger.