Building more endurance will hold the key in Harley Reid’s mission to graduate from a being hugely-exciting 21-year-old into one of the AFL’s genuine superstars, according to Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge.
The rising Eagle continued a stunning third season for West Coast by leading the way in his side’s 30-point win over Essendon on Sunday night.
Hodge hailed Reid as an “absolute beast” after he broke three tackles to kick a goal of the year contender in the second term, while commentator Brian Taylor called the powerful midfielder a “raging bull”.
On Channel Seven’s broadcast, Hodge said the first selection in 2023’s draft was only just beginning to scratch the surface of his massive potential.
“The reason why he got drafted, he was a powerful person. You can see tonight — he loves the aggression, he loves to take people on, he loves to burst tackles,” Hodge said.
“The next phase is just the endurance side of it, being able to do it for a whole four quarters. You see him at times come in and pinch-hit here and there — he’s getting better, but the next part is building the endurance for a whole game.
“When he’s on, he’s very hard to stop.”
When quizzed by Taylor if he would prefer to build a side around Reid or Nick Daicos, Hodge said he would take the Collingwood champion “to win a game tomorrow”, but he would favour Reid if he was projecting two years into the future.
Hodge’s fellow Channel Seven analyst Jobe Watson was also effusive in his praise of Reid.
“There’s very few players you can bring into your club that change your trajectory on their own. He is one of the guys that you feel like will change the trajectory of where this West Coast side is going,” Watson said.
“Not just because of his talent, but because of his attitude and his aggression.”
After the game, Reid credited his improved on-field performances in his third season to “being able to grow and mature as a person”.
“The best part for me was probably coming back that month earlier (in pre-season) and having the boys hold me accountable week-in, week-out,” Reid told Seven’s broadcast.
“The boys have held me in good stead to be able to work hard and reach the next level.”
Reid has also welcomed fellow Willem Duursma as a housemate this season, and he said trying to set an example for his fellow No.1 draft pick had further helped his development as a person.
“I think it’s just the small little things that do lead to big things,” he said.
“It’s just getting him up (and saying) ‘let’s go do a little bit of extra touch, because you might not need it, but I do’, and we take a few of the other boys.
“I think that’s something we’ve created. We probably were a bit lazy at times and (now) I think we’re being able to do that extra work and trying to get better each week.”
