Ceiling is Dusty, floor is Stringer: Has the penny dropped for Reid?

Harley Reid has spoken on his Eagles re-signing for the first time, delivering a rather honest assessment of his decision.

Despite interest from several clubs with huge money on the table for the Victorian No.1 pick, Reid opted to remain out west, re-committing to the club for a further two seasons in late August – a deal that extends until the end of the 2028 season.

Speaking with Channel 9, Reid expressed that it simply wasn’t the right time for him to move on, failing to provide any confidence that he would remain in Western Australia for the long term.

“When you sit down with your close ones and your circle of trust, you try to find the right decision,” Reid said.

“Either way, you’ve got to do your time, and for me, it just wasn’t the right time and I wanted to stay.

“I look forward to seeing what happens.”

Reid also reflected on a frustrating 2025 where he had a few niggling injuries and played in just one win from his 19 outings.

Last off-season he wasn’t quite in the best shape he could have been and he understands he can’t get away with that again.

“I think I’m feeling a bit better this year than I did last year,” he said. “No photos edited with the gut.

“Hopefully I’m looking a little bit better today. I’m excited but she’ll be hard.”

Kane Cornes has been critical of Reid’s fitness and called him out last pre-season.

He was happy to see that perhaps the penny has dropped given Reid’s honest comments on his physical shape.

“I said that he has got the second-year blues written all over him,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.

“It was always going to be a horrible season for Harley Reid and that’s exactly the way it played out.

“It was the most obvious opinion that anyone could have had this time last year that he was going to struggle.

“I’m glad that he has been able to reflect on that as a young player. This to me says that he’s starting to work it out a little bit quicker.”

Cornes says the sky is the limit for Reid who could become Dustin Martin-like if he fully commits himself.

“At least he’s honest and at least he’s reflected and analysed his fault in his struggles this year and has vowed to make it better," he continued.

“They’re words and we’ll see how that plays out over the pre-season.

“It is up to him how good he wants to be. I’ve always said the ceiling is Dustin Martin, the floor is Jake Stringer and it will be up to him.

“How close he gets to the ceiling or if he is comfortable with the floor, which will still be a good, effective AFL footballer, don’t worry, he’ll still play 200-250 games and have some big moments - but he’s not going to be an all-time great unless he puts the work in. I don’t care how talented you are.

“But I’m just glad that he’s starting to reflect on that and realise what’s required to be a great player at this level.”

In his second season, Reid averaged 19 disposals and four clearances in his 19 games.

The 20-year-old finished third in West Coast's best and fairest in 2025.