Harley Reid’s suitors have been put on high alert, and an even higher asking price. The West Coast sensation won’t be going anywhere unless Victorian clubs come calling with a 10-year deal worth at least $15 million.
Reports from veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson revealed that rival clubs have already been warned off making a pitch unless they’re willing to break the bank.
The teenage midfielder-forward is still just 19 but is already drawing comparisons to the league’s biggest stars and commanding similar figures.
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“This is just extraordinary to me,” Wilson said on Agenda Setters. “Two different clubs confirmed to me that they’ve been told unless you’re talking 10 years at around $1.5 million at an absolute minimum, don’t even bother having the conversation.”
Reid deal dwarfs early-career contracts
Reid’s price tag has stunned many in the industry, with even top draft picks rarely hitting such numbers so early in their careers. Wilson said while clubs might feel more confident backing someone like Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell with that kind of investment, Reid’s ceiling remains a tantalising unknown.
“No one quite knows yet what he’s capable of,” she said. “Obviously, there are massive numbers being talked about with Matt Rowell … but we sort of know a bit more about what Matt Rowell is capable of in a way of justifying (the money).”
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The Reid conversation follows Kysaiah Pickett’s eyebrow-raising contract extension at Melbourne through to 2034, a trend that’s reportedly causing unease at league HQ.
“This is a crazy deal, the more you think about it,” Wilson said. “The AFL is very worried about this.”
For now, though, Reid remains contracted at West Coast unless there’s a seismic offer on the table.