West Coast Eagles Coach Andrew McQualter Defends Harley Reid After Geelong Loss Criticism
West Coast Eagles coach Andrew McQualter has come to the defence of young star Harley Reid, barely 24 hours after criticising the midfielder for giving away costly free kicks in the Gather Round loss to Geelong in Adelaide. The second-year coach admitted post-game that the 20-year-old had "let himself down" after giving away a blatant 50-metre penalty for knocking the ball out of Cat Sam De Koning's hands after a mark.
Costly Free Kicks in Gather Round Defeat
This incident led directly to a goal and was just one of five free kicks West Coast gave away that resulted in Geelong majors, as they went down by 46 points at Norwood Oval. McQualter also stated in his post-game interview that it was not the way he wanted Reid to conduct himself on the field.
"That was not the way we want Harley to play. I also thought he had parts of his game that was strong. We'll keep working with him like we do with all of our players," he said initially.
McQualter Clarifies Position on Rising Star
However, speaking to 7NEWS on Monday evening, the former Richmond assistant coach clarified his stance, saying he did not believe it was becoming an issue for the rising star. McQualter explained that his frustrations were more team-wide and related to broader disciplinary concerns.
"I'm not sure it's becoming an issue, it's just in that game unfortunately we had three 50-metre penalties and five goals directly from free kicks and the position we're in we just have to tidy that up a little bit, and we're wary of it," McQualter said on 7NEWS.
"It's something we're working really hard on, and I'm sure we'll rectify it this week."
Praise for Reid's Influence and Performance
McQualter added that he was still proud of the way Reid was conducting himself in front of his young teammates and emphasised the midfielder's positive impact on the team.
"Harley's just so influential in the way in everything that he does, and we love the way he's going about his footy, and I think he played a really strong game on Sunday," he said.
"So, we appreciate how influential he is and the story he creates, and we love him in our team."
Reid's Physical Bounce-Back Performance
Reid's physical performance against Geelong represented a major bounce-back after being tagged out of the contest in the 128-point flogging at the hands of Sydney the previous week. He collected 22 disposals and kicked a goal against the Cats while significantly improving his clearance numbers.
The young star recorded six clearances against Geelong after winning only one while being tagged by James Jordon in the previous match against Sydney. This demonstrated his resilience and ability to respond positively to challenging situations on the field.
McQualter's comments highlight the delicate balance coaches must strike between addressing performance issues and supporting developing players, particularly when dealing with emerging talents like Harley Reid in the competitive AFL environment.
