WEST Coast should let Harley Reid go if it wants to improve the culture of the club, according to Essendon great Matthew Lloyd.
With the midfielder’s head turning as rival clubs circle, Lloyd says the Eagles are better off trading Reid at the end of this year, instead of forcing him to see out his contract to the end of 2026.
“For the culture of the West Coast Eagles … I think they have to make a serious call,” Lloyd said on AFL.com.au’s Access.
“Let him go, because it’s shocking.
“If you’ve got players who don’t want to be at your club, no matter how good they are, you move them on.”
As the club continues its run of poor form this season, the Eagles may lose both Reid and skipper Oscar Allen (contracted until the end of the year) during the 2025 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period.
With Allen openly meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell, and Reid’s on field antagonistic attitude, both players’ frustrations have been palpable.
Yet to put a win on the board in eight rounds of football, Lloyd says the Eagles should consider letting Reid go at season’s end to allow room for new recruits who want to stay at the club.
“You’ve got Oscar Allen; you’ve got Harley Reid in this situation who are unsure of what they want to do.
“Can you bring in three players and some cream of the crop players – Western Australians who want to be at your football club rather than holding a player that you know is just going to leave you?”
Oscar Allen and Harley Reid during West Coast’s loss to Gold Coast in round one, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
AFL.com.au‘s Kane Cornes also believes Reid should go, but says it will be because the young talent is not getting any help from his teammates.
On First Up with Kane Cornes, the Port Adelaide great said that while Reid cops a tag from the opposition, there is not enough midfield depth at the Eagles to support and cover the difference.
“Elliott Yeo, they’ve announced he’s in for more surgery and he just cannot get himself on the park. So, who is there at the Eagles to help Harley Reid?
“I just think he should get out, really, because there’s going to be no help, no support for him coming at the Eagles.”
Despite Reid’s contract tying him until the end of the 2026 season, Lloyd says the Eagles need to cut their losses with the 2023 No.1 pick if they want to ensure a stable club atmosphere for the future.
“It is awful for your environment and your football club if you know that a player deep down doesn’t really want to be there,” Lloyd said.
“No player is bigger than a club and that’s where I’d consider making that call at the end of this season.”
