Harley Roo: a deal that solves the pick one problem

Save articles for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

For as long as it became probable that West Coast would finish on the bottom, there has been a debate about whether the Eagles should trade the rights to Harley Reid, the Bendigo teen viewed as a near-certain pick No.1.

The case for trading the rights to pick one – assuming the Eagles retain that pole position – is based on two realities facing the competition’s most financially powerful club.

The first is that Reid is known to prefer to remain in Victoria and arguably represents a flight risk, although his management and West Coast have denied to The Age that he has told the Eagles he doesn’t want to be drafted by them.

Vic Country star Harley Reid, the likely No.1 draft pick.Credit: Getty Images

Regardless, this does not mean the Eagles should bow to that wish because they have a superb record of retaining out-of-state players. But it is a factor that will give them pause.

The more pertinent factor is the state of West Coast’s playing list and the need for the club to maximise their draft hand, as veterans such as Luke Shuey finish up. While the Eagles have regenerated quickly from their previous crashes, this rebuild shapes as more difficult; there are no easy priority picks, as in 2001 and 2008, and they have fewer quality players who will still be around for the renaissance.

The primary argument for trading the rights to Reid is that one early pick will not provide enough uplift for a team that is light-on for young talent, having missed the chance to trade out a couple of premiership players when they still had currency.

“The Kangaroos, who are Winx odds to hold pick No.2 at season’s end, can complete another swap with West Coast. It is much more feasible to give up pick one when you’re getting pick two back and have absolute certainty about who you can draft. Only Harley Reid would be crossed off the list.”

North Melbourne and West Coast were involved in an omnibus multi-club trade last year that resulted in North losing pick No.1 and Jason Horne-Francis but gaining picks two and three and another first rounder (GWS landed pick one). For the Eagles, pick two was turned into a pair of sorely needed first rounders.

Reid is worth even more than pick one last year and there will be more than a couple of clubs interested in giving up multiple first rounders – Melbourne and GWS holding early choices from Fremantle and Richmond respectively, are obvious candidates.

But there’s another club that should be in the market and which is eyeing off the possibility of landing Reid: North Melbourne.

The Kangaroos, who are Winx odds to hold pick No.2 at season’s end (regardless of Sunday’s outcome), can complete another swap with West Coast. It is much more feasible to give up pick one when you’re getting pick two back and have absolute certainty about who you can draft. Only Reid would be crossed off the list.

The price for trading pick one for pick two is not as exorbitant as giving up one for later choices. If Reid is as good as Chris Judd or Nick Daicos, then the price must be steep. Conversely, if he’s merely exceptional, rather than generational, it should not be too hard for North to find an additional first-round choice to hand the Eagles.

North hold Port Adelaide’s first rounder – pick 17, based on current ladder position – this year from the Horne-Francis and pick one mega-trade.

North also could well be armed with an extra draft choice for losing key defender Ben McKay, probably to Essendon, as a free agent; in the dream scenario, North would gain pick No.3 and at worst, they’ll gain an end-of-first-round if McKay walks.

North are asking for (more) special draft assistance from the AFL. But the McKay compensation could be the equivalent, making it easier for the Roos to strike a deal to land pick one and Reid.

To give up pick No.1, though, West Coast would need to know there’s a high-quality kid available at pick No.2. Ideally, that player would be a West Australian, too, following the same script of 2022, when the Eagles drafted local products Reuben Ginbey and Elijah Hewett in the first round after turning pick two into multiple choices.

Daniel Curtin, a 195-centimetre key defender who can play midfield, shapes as the best of the west, having succeeded in the midfield in the national under-18s. Recruiters have Curtin and Tasmanian Colby McKercher among those vying for picks 2-5.

The decision on pick one hinges on a range of factors, not least of which is how the Eagles rate Reid compared with Curtin and others. They will be meeting with Reid and making a judgement on the risk/reward of drafting him versus trading the pick.

If pick one is usually sacrosanct, to give it up for pick two plus at least one first rounder is an easier sell.

Most Viewed in Sport

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article