West Coast emerging superstar Harley Reid has come under fire for some “petulant behaviour” during the Eagles’ horror loss to Sydney.
The Eagles were completely outclassed by a rampant Swans, who booted the first 11 goals on their way to a 128-point demolition that left the Optus Stadium crowd shellshocked.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Harley Reid gives away a soft 50m penalty
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Jake Waterman finally got the Eagles’ first goal of the evening in the shadows of half-time, but Reid then gifted it straight back by conceding a 50m penalty.
Eagles ruck Matt Flynn was penalised for crossing the line and engaging with Brodie Grundy as the ball bounced towards Reid.
The young gun then went to gather the ball, but tapped it to himself a few times before tapping it away from opponent Heeney and nowhere near Grundy.
It was a clear 50m penalty that allowed Grundy to kick a straightforward set shot.
Reid had a game to forget against the Swans. Credit: Getty
While the incident had no bearing on the outcome of the match, it was slammed by AFL great David King.
“Harley just taps the ball away, it’s not good enough. It’s something he’s got to get out of his game,” King said on Fox Footy.
“Just the petulant behaviour hurting his team again.
“He’s better than that. He has such a positive influence on this team and a negative influence at times.”
Reid was heavily tagged by James Jordon throughout the match and his frustrations boiled over at times.
Early in the last quarter, he was involved in another flashpoint and appeared to give away another free kick that resulted in a goal.
In that instance, he was caught retaliating after teammate Reuben Ginbey copped an elbow to the head from Angus Sheldrick.
While initial replays suggested the free kick was paid against Reid, it may have been for an incident against Ginbey seconds earlier.
Either way, King said Reid’s actions weren’t good enough.
“I think at some stage the coach has to remove the player from the field … there has to be a punishment or sanction internally for this type of behaviour,” King said.
“I love Harley Reid, I think he’s going to be an outstanding player and I love the desire and the want to be aggressive and confrontational.
“You’ve just got to still have emotional control and I think it’s a challenge for this player at this stage of his career. He’s got to get better.”
Reid came into the match on the back of three strong performances to start to the season.
But the 20-year-old struggled to shake the tag and was well down on his usual output.
He was moved forward and down back at times, but was well beaten by a determined Jordon, who never relented.
To Reid’s credit he kept working hard and had seven last-quarter disposals to finish with 17 for the match. But he had just one clearance, one inside 50 and zero tackles.
He wasn’t the only Eagle to struggle as Sydney had winners all over the park.
The Swans did as they pleased with Grundy dominating the ruck and superstar Isaac Heeney putting on a clinic to finish with 26 touches and four goals on his return from a hamstring injury.
Charlie Curnow found form with four goals, while a wayward Tom Papley was involved in plenty to celebrate his 200th game in style.
The result boosted Sydney’s record to 3-1 ahead of their Gather Round clash with Gold Coast.
West Coast, who were riding high following comeback wins over North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, slipped to 2-2 and will now have to digest the fifth largest loss in the club’s history.
Heeney tore the game open from the outset, tallying 10 disposals, four clearances and a goal as Sydney slammed through six goals to nil in the opening term.
The onslaught continued in the second term, with Papley’s snap on the run and Chad Warner’s double fend-off among the many Swans highlights.
Remarkably, when Sydney had 11 goals to their name compared with West Coast’s zero, the inside-50m count was level at 25-25.
The entries were in stark contrast to each other.
Sydney’s ability to slice and dice their way through the corridor meant their forwards had an acre of space to work with, while West Coast’s hurried kicks into attack were easily picked off by Swans defenders.
The Eagles’ first goal of the match came at the 25-minute mark of the second quarter when Jake Waterman snapped truly on the run, but it was already game over by that point.
The margin hit 100 points when Heeney kicked his fourth goal at the 20-minute mark of the third quarter, and Sydney never let up.
– With AAP
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