Star draftee Harley Reid and gun veteran Elliot Yeo have inspired struggling West Coast to their first win of the AFL season, downing Richmond by 39 points.
Yeo (27 disposals, 15 clearances, two goals) was back to his All-Australian best and Jake Waterman kicked a career-high six majors as the hosts stormed to a 16.13 (109) to 10.10 (70) victory at Optus Stadium.
Teammates surround Harley Reid after their win against Richmond at Optus Stadium. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images
The Eagles looked potentially in for another grim afternoon when they conceded the first four goals, but dominated thereafter to register their best first-half score since 2021 and just their sixth win in 54 games.
No.1 draft pick Reid gathered 27 disposals, including 13 touches and four clearances in the third term alone, and had the 47,665-strong crowd swooning with repeated bursts out of traffic and a superb roving goal.
The powerful 18-year-old is shaping as a generational talent and will give Eagles faithfuls hope of fast-tracking what has been a painful rebuild.
“Harley had a good day. Hopefully he gets that Rising Star nomination,” Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.
“He’s a great kid. He works really hard and he wants to get better. Dealing with the [media] attention is just something we’re trying to help him with at the moment.”
Fellow youngsters Reuben Ginbey and Campbell Chesser also impressed while Waterman was immense up forward with eight contested marks.
Already without Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper, Dion Prestia, Noah Balta, Dylan Grimes and Tom Lynch, the Tigers suffered another injury blow when Jayden Short was substituted in the second quarter with a calf concern.
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