- In short: West Coast coach Adam Simpson says boom rookie Harley Reid was rested this week after internal measurements revealed his body was “flagging”.
- Reid will miss Sunday’s clash against the Gold Coast Suns after playing starring roles in West Coast’s back-to-back wins over the last fortnight.
- What’s next? The 19-year-old will return to the Eagles line-up in Round 8 when they host Essendon at Perth Stadium.
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Harley Reid’s outstanding performance in the Western derby becomes even more impressive when you consider that his body was showing signs of fatigue. Despite this, the No.1 pick from last year’s draft delivered a stunning display, scoring three goals, grabbing 19 possessions and making seven clearances in West Coast’s 37-point win over Fremantle.
These stats came just a week after he recorded 27 disposals, seven clearances and a goal in a 39-point victory over Richmond. However, although Reid was keen to play against Gold Coast, West Coast coach Adam Simpson decided to rest him due to the metrics indicating his body needed a break. Simpson said, “We’re going to miss him…
but doing the right thing by the kid is also our priority.” Reid will use the time off to visit his family in Tongala, Victoria.
West Coast will be without suspended defender Tom Barrass when they face Gold Coast. However, the team will welcome back premiership forward Liam Ryan, who returns for the first time since tearing his hamstring against Fremantle in round three last year.
Ryan replaces injured forward Noah Long (hip), while the Eagles also welcome back defender Harry Edwards and midfielder Luke Edwards.
Simpson warned his players to avoid similar incidents to Barrass’s tackle, which earned him a one-match suspension, saying “We’ve just got to be careful with those incidents.
We can avoid those.” Meanwhile, Gold Coast have called up veteran forward Sam Day and defender Rory Atkins to replace Ethan Read (being rested) and Bodhi Uwland (dropped) in their 23-man squad.
