Hodge slams media over Reid reports

HAWTHORN great Luke Hodge can’t help but feel for young draftee Harley Reid after reports were made that the future potential number one pick doesn’t want to be drafted to the West Coast Eagles.

It was reported earlier this week by leading AFL journalist Sam McClure that Reid has “essentially told West Coast that he doesn’t want to be drafted there”.

The suggestions made on McClure’s Tradies Podcast were later shut down by Reid’s manager Nick Gieschen.

Labelling the reports as “absolutely wrong”, Gieschen was staunch in his response to McClure’s comments.

“Wrong, absolutely wrong,” he said on SEN Breakfast.

“If there was ever any thought of that, I would get on the phone and speak to Rohan O’Brien and have a chat about it. We’ve never had to because from our point of view, it’s not an issue.

“Harley is open-minded, he’s excited about what’s ahead and let’s just see what happens once the footy finishes.

“In terms of him having a preference of staying in Victoria, he’s not from Victoria (Melbourne), he’s from country Victoria three hours out of Melbourne.

“Harley will go wherever the draft takes him.

“If it does end up in Perth, yeah, it’s a big move and it’s a lot to take in. That’s no different to a lot of the other interstate players they’ve drafted over the years – Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff, Campbell Chesser who we had a couple of years ago.

“It’s all part of being an AFL player and going through the draft process. He’s open minded, let’s get through the year and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Hodge, who was taken at number one by the Hawks in the 2001 draft, knows what it’s like to be a young lad from the country in the spotlight.

The four-time premiership Hawk says this type of journalism will continue to happen given the environment of the current AFL media.

“This is where I sit back and understand why clubs, managers and players are scared of the media,” Hodge told SEN’s Crunch Time.

“This is a 17-year-old kid who hasn’t been drafted yet and his name is being dragged through saying ‘he doesn’t want to go to West Coast’.

“This is why when we all sit back and go ‘this is a breath of fresh air to hear a football player be honest and say what they really think’ it’s because things get taken out of control.

“When I first heard the reports, I thought ‘what’s he doing, why is he saying that he needs to be smarter than that’, and then you find out from his manager that it’s totally untrue.

“You feel for him and unfortunately because we have so many people in the media and they want to break stories and get it out, this is going to continue to happen.”

Hodge said this is why star athletes are so weary of the media and being taken out of context.

“You feel for the young fella, he’s probably sitting back and going ‘jeez is this what AFL is up for, every time I’m in the media whether it’s true or not it’s going to get reported’,” he said.

“That’s the hardest thing, that’s why we turn these young, loveable and energetic country guys who want to be open and have a joke, we turn them into robots.

“Because they’ll say something and people will take it the wrong way and the next thing it’s plastered all over the media and then he gets taught by his manager, his family friends or himself and say ‘I better be cautious on what I say now’.”

As it stands, the Eagles hold pick number one for the 2023 draft, but it remains to be seen if other clubs will trade for the prized selection.

– HUGH FITZPATRICK/ SEN