HARLEY Reid admits dealing with the intense focus of being the most hyped young footballer in the country “can get a bit much”.
But the 18-year-old from Tongala, who is widely tipped to be this year’s No.1 pick in the AFL draft, believes his country upbringing, laid-back nature and tight circle of trust continues to keep him grounded.
Reid joined 56 players from the Bendigo Pioneers’ boys and girls program at Nyah on Wednesday for a full under-19 squad training session.
The hit-out came ahead of his next match for Vic Country in the Under 18 National Championships, where he will play alongside fellow Bendigo Pioneers draft hopes Oliver Poole, Oskar Smart and Archer Day-Wicks against Western Australia in Perth on Friday night.
It’s a city he may soon call home given the current plight of the West Coast Eagles, who look almost certain to finish with the top pick.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t bother me where I go or get drafted to,” Reid told The Guardian following Wednesday’s session at Nyah.
“It would just be dream come true to play AFL footy and I’m happy to play anywhere, to be honest.”
Wherever Reid goes, he commands attention.
Everything from concussion suffered in an AFL Academy match, to his form, or what AFL clubs should give up to draft the youngster dubbed a generational talent is heavily scrutinised by the AFL media.
“At times (the media focus) can get a bit much,” Reid said.
“This year I’ve probably found the footy world and the media attention is a bit over the top, but I’m pretty lucky in that I’m a pretty laid-back bloke and I just take what comes.
“I’m pretty lucky in that I haven’t had anything negative said about me yet, but I’m pretty comfortable with that – I’ll just keep ticking along and worry about what’s next at the end of the year.
“In terms of expectations, I suppose there’s a lot of talk from different people and it comes and goes, but I’m just trying to stick to my circle and listen to the people I trust.”
Bendigo Pioneers head coach Danny O’Bree said it had been a challenge managing the media attention, particularly as Reid was in the midst of completing his VCE at Echuca’s St Joseph’s College.
“We’ve found different kind of challenges as we’ve gone along (with Harley),” O’Bree said.
“There was a significant challenge six or seven weeks ago, when he had far too much media, so we’ve been trying to limit that and take the pressure off him.
“It’s pretty unfair some of it. I know everyone wants a piece of him, but we have to look after him as well, he hasn’t been drafted yet and we want him to improve both on the field and off the field.
“He’s got a lot to learn still and what I love about his year is he’s getting better every week in some way, shape or form, and I think that’s what we’re pretty proud of our program about.
“We’ve got a duty to promote the game, promote our program and promote the talent league, but we have to look after our kids as well.
“They aren’t media trained and we haven’t got time in our program to be providing that because of the limited hands-on time we get with our players.
“It’s something that we’re trying to educate them on, but we wouldn’t mind if the media didn’t just go hard at one player.”
Reid said he was trying to keep his focus on his development, both on and off the field, in a year when he has travelled countless kilometres for his football.
“It’s been pretty hard at times this year – it feels like I’m at a different team every two weeks, which has been proven difficult at times,” he said.
“I’ve played in five different teams, so it can be a bit difficult to find a groove, but I’m looking at it as another challenge that comes with it all.
“The Pioneers program has been great for my development, not just as a footballer but also a person, to be honest.
“I came into the program about three or four years ago and I’ve learnt a lot over my time having come from a small local town.
“At the start I found it a bit difficult and I wasn’t sure if this was really for me, but I quickly found my feet and was lucky enough to meet some great people who I’ll be friends with long after my footballing days will end.”
