THE hype on Harley Reid is real, but is it any greater than that on recent number one draft picks?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the question posed by Nathan Buckley on SEN Breakfast, with the former Collingwood coach suggesting the answer is no.<\/p>\n
Instead, Buckley believes we\u2019re locked in a recency bias and that the likes of Jason Horne-Francis, Sam Walsh and more in years gone by have all received the same treatment.<\/p>\n
The fanfare of Reid is seen through The West Australian, who have already featured the 18-year-old on the back page 15 times in 2024 alone.<\/p>\n
Buckley and Breakfast host Kane Cornes \u2013 who has previously posed the question of whether Reid is being set up to fail \u2013 disagreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve watched the Harley Reid stuff from afar\u2026 and West Coast and the West Coast media are going really hard on it,\u201d Buckley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it any bigger than other number one draft picks though? I don\u2019t really believe there is any more pressure on this kid than a handful of number one picks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just happens to be the most recent one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s a little bit of the media era. I think it\u2019s a bit of recency bias, because is it any bigger than how we were talking about Jason Horne-Francis two years ago? In my mind no.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the guts of it, this is why being a number one pick is really tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be more than just a great footballer to be a success as a number one draft pick, you need to have the where with all and the emotional regulation to be able to handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Eagles have already put on the record that Reid is living up to his junior hype during pre-season, while Brad Scott drew comparisons between Reid and Michael Voss last year.<\/p>\n
Buckley, who enjoyed a stellar start to his AFL career at Brisbane before moving to Collingwood and becoming an all-time great, knows a thing or two about expectation across the footy landscape.<\/p>\n
He said he believes the hype is often not justified at such an early stage of a young player\u2019s career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve loved this, not as a 17 or 18-year-old, but as a 20-year-old I\u2019ve lived it, I know what it\u2019s like to be in this position,\u201d Buckley said.<\/p>\n
Some characters will just put their head down\u2026 and just grind their way through it, others will struggle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think back to Matt Rowell in 2019, there were big raps on him coming in and changing things, his first six games were as good as any.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve allowed him to find his level and his best football is ahead of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cTom Scully back in 2009, the raps on him were huge. He was going to revolutionise the game with his running.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t quite make that level\u2026 Tom Boyd was one, he trained with us in the U16s as a young kid going through the AIS, he looked amazing but once again, it\u2019s more than size and strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has spoken bravely about his challenges and mental state and I\u2019ve got no doubt that part of where he got to was the pressure we\u2019re putting Harley Reid under.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do build up young players to a level not all of them can reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Cornes offered his view.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is bigger [than recent years]\u2026 maybe it is recency bias from me but I don\u2019t think this is anything like the Jason Horne-Francis coverage\u2026 it\u2019s no one\u2019s fault because clearly that\u2019s the appetite and that\u2019s what we want to read about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no blame on anyone\u2026 but it\u2019s a really tough start for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reid will spend much of his first year in royal blue and gold playing off half-back, with the Eagles hoping their prized asset will follow the same path trodden by Nick Daicos.<\/p>\n