The West Coast Eagles appear to have a mammoth $24 million dilemma on their hands over the future of their prized asset, Harley Reid.
The 20-year-old had an eye-popping debut season in 2024 and likely would have won the Rising Star award if not for a two-match suspension for a dangerous tackle against St Kilda's Darcy Wilson in round 13.
The No.1 draft pick has struggled at times in his sophomore campaign, partly due to some heavy tags from oppostion teams, while he has also given away more free kicks (60) this season than any other player, including six against the Dockers on Saturday.
Reid was shut down for the rest of the season this week following a syndesmosis injury in the loss to Fremantle, but speculation over his future has reached fever pitch levels across the AFL landscape.
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The Victorian is contracted until the end of 2026, but he is drawing interest from a number of Melbourne clubs and is expected to decide his long-term future in the coming weeks.
Desperate to retain their most recognisable name, the Eagles have tabled a number of offers to Reid's management, with his camp reportedly countering with a deal worth roughly $24 million over 11 years.
It is clearly an enormous commitment and one that would hamper the salary cap plans for a young, rebuilding club.
While undeniably talented, Reid is also yet to truly demonstrate he will become the sort of top-shelf player that would justify that level of financial guarantee.
The option of either locking him down for the long-term or allowing Reid to leave and potentially replacing him with a number of players split the panel on Fox Footy's On The Couch on Monday night.
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“I personally don’t think that is a decision West Coast should make," Collingwood great Nathan Buckley said.
“If you’re being held to ransom in some shape or form by this player for that amount of money, that means you’re probably going to get two or three first-rounders back. Maybe that depth is going to be better for you than a Harley Reid?
“The other piece to this is – and I don’t have the answer to this, in terms of culture and character – is Harley Reid the character you want to build this club around? Because if he is, absolutely offer him that deal.”
That reads like Buckley himself is on the fence about the decision facing the Eagles.
Lions legend Jonathan Brown, however, felt the Perth club simply couldn't let a player of Reid's calibre and potential walk out the door.
"Well, to me he looks like he’s a competitor like ‘Hodgey’ (Luke Hodge)," he said. "Whether he’s got the same leadership qualities, that’s going to be a hard level to reach.
"But to me, you can’t lose these generational players. With the benefit of time, with some maturity he’ll learn to become a professional with all the pressure that’s going to be steeped on him.
"I wouldn’t be letting a player of this quality leave because he’s going to come back to hurt you."