West Coast’s highly sought young star Harley Reid is leaning towards remaining at the Eagles in 2026 rather than seeking a trade back home to Victoria.
Reid, who has been subject to constant speculation – and interest from Victorian clubs since his outstanding debut season in 2024 – is said to be more likely to remain in Perth and play for West Coast next year, according to rival clubs and industry sources who spoke to this masthead on Wednesday.
The signs point to Harley Reid resisting the temptation to seek a trade home to Victoria and staying at West Coast next season.Credit: Getty Images
Reid is contracted for 2026, under the AFL’s three-year mandatory minimum for first round picks, which means West Coast has a hold on him in any case. Of course, the prospect of Reid moving home to Victoria when his contract expires at the end of 2026 remains a live possibility.
While he is more inclined to stay than leave, this is not a definitive position and it cannot be completely ruled out that he might seek a trade.
The likelihood that Reid, the 2023 No.1 draft pick, will stay in Perth creates a series of dominoes for rival clubs, given that relatively few were well-placed to satisfy West Coast in a trade this year.
Richmond and Essendon would arguably be the Victorian clubs with the best draft capital if Reid was willing to play for those clubs, and both are in the throes of rebuilding or replenishing their lists with youth rather than contending for the premiership.
Of the Victorian clubs in contention mode, Geelong and Collingwood do not have first round choices this year in the national draft, while Hawthorn have Carlton’s first round pick.
Melbourne and Carlton, thus, are without first round picks, although the Blues would gain a top-10 choice, based on current ladder position, if they lost free agent Tom de Koning to St Kilda, who have offered the ruckman a staggering deal worth close to $1.7 million a season over a long-term.
North Melbourne, too, has traded away their 2025 first round choice. Richmond and Essendon each have two first rounders, the Tigers having gained North’s, and Essendon owning the Demons’ first round pick following a pick swap last year.
The Eagles have no need to trade Reid this year, given his contract, and some rival clubs note that the prospect of a heavily compromised national draft – replete with Next Generation Academy players and northern academy recruits – provides a further incentive to hang on to Reid.
Reid’s a natural showman.Credit: Getty Images
Geelong, which has a knack for landing name players – and especially those from country backgrounds (Reid is from Tongala) – traded their 2025 first round pick and 2024 second round (pick No.38) for Bailey Smith in what is now viewed as a bargain for the Cats given Smith’s outstanding form.
Collingwood, another destination club, traded their 2025 first round pick as part of the deal that saw Dan Houston traded from Port Adelaide to the Magpies.
The clubs will have the option of trading two years of future picks in a deal for the first time, this October.
Reid has been less impactful in his second year than his first, when he played a key role in West Coast’s victories over Melbourne and Fremantle and won the AFLPA’S best first-year player award. He had some interruptions to his pre-season training before this season, and has thus far averaged just under 17 disposals per game.
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