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"Desperate enough": Reid's team slammed for $24m ultimatum
SEN • July 31st, 2025 12:14 pm
Harley Reid’s management have been slammed for taking advantage of West Coast’s desperation for list improvement after they issued a $24 million ultimatum to the club over the star’s future.
Victorian native Reid remains contracted with the Eagles for next year, but several rival clubs are having a crack in a bid to lure the 20-year-old back to his home state.
Reid has had an offer from the Eagles in front of him since April but this week in a ‘pay up or he requests a trade’ move, it was reported that his management met with West Coast to table a counter offer which would see the star paid in excess of $2 million a season and $24m over an 11-year period.
The move has been slammed by Mark Duffield who accused the management group - owned by Paul Connors - of holding the club to ransom for a player “that turned up fat for pre-season”.
“The Eagles list is in a sorry state,” Duffield told SEN’s Sportsday.
“Such a state that a second-year player that turned up fat for pre-season is going to demand $2 million a year for 11 years because he thinks he can, because the club is so desperate and he might be the only decent player they’ve got.
“That’s the play the Connors stable have made on West Coast.
“They realise Harley Reid is not worth that at the moment but they feel West Coast might be desperate enough to jump at it.
“West Coast is in a difficult position.
“I think its pretty rude by the management group when you look at Harley; we all love Harley, but its rude and basically adds up as an ultimatum.
“'You will pay this, or he asks for a trade'.”
Reid, whose season came to a premature end earlier this week after the former No.1 pick suffered a low-level syndesmosis injury, is believed to have made it clear he is open to options at other clubs but not those struggling to compete.
Where experts are divided is on his actual value given he is only two years into his career.
“Is he worth the figure being bandied at the moment? Duffield continued.
“That figure ($24m) has not been disputed and is not far off $1 million more than Bont (Marcus Bontempelli) is getting to re-sign at the Dogs.
“Harley should earn his stripes a bit before his management ask for figures like that.
“From a West Australian perspective all it does is wedge West Coast and put them in a difficult position.
“Fans want the sugar-hit of signing Harley for two years - and it’s only a two-year guarantee.
“If you look at it on list management principles, it’s a deal West Coast shouldn’t do.”
The bottom-placed Eagles, without Reid, next meet Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
