West Coast Eagles star Elliot Yeo vows to protect Harley Reid if he’s targeted by North Melbourne

Elliot Yeo has warned that West Coast are prepared to fight back and protect “freak of nature” Harley Reid after North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson declared they would target the young star.

Clarkson called Reid “a real igniter” for the Eagles and said they would consider sending second-year midfielder Finn O’Sullivan to curtail his influence on Sunday after he helped put the clamps on Port Adelaide gun Zak Butters.

“That’s certainly an option for us (sending O’Sullivan to Reid),” Clarkson said. “He (Reid) is... a real igniter for their side, so whether it’s Finn or someone else that goes to him, we’ll just have to work that out.”

Yeo said he and the rest of the team were prepared to fly the flag and help Reid should the extra attention come his way.

“You want to stand up for your teammates. It’s not just me, I think the whole team will get behind him, rally behind him, and try to help him as much as we can,” he said.

“He’s a talented player, and he’s probably going to get a few games where he’s going to get some attention.

“As much as we can do — not myself personally — but as a team to help Harley and other players be involved in the game, the better that we’ll be and the more games we’ll win.”

Reid has persistently been targeted by opposition teams since early in his career and garnered plenty of attention last year as the Eagles’ No.1 midfielder in only his second season.

Yeo’s absence in 2025 because of a serious ankle injury contributed to the load on the 20-year-old, having been a pivotal mentor for the Victorian in his maiden season.

The 32-year-old said Reid would handle tags better as he gained more experience and that in a few years he’d benefit from “copping it a bit”.

“You’ve got to look at all ways. You’ve got to have all the tricks in your toolbox to basically use and utilise when you need. Football is a tough game these days, and I think Harley is going to be a talented player, and he is, but there’s a lot of expectation on him, and he’s still quite young,” he said.

“His ceiling and potential are massive, and I think everyone does, but he’s still young. He’s still learning the game and still trying to adjust to it as well. He’s doing well for his age. I don’t think when I was 20, 21 years of age, I was doing what he was doing.

“He’s still a freak of nature, but he’s a kid, he’s going to find his way, and he still needs to learn. In a couple of years’ time, especially he’s going to be an absolute freak, and everyone is going to look back and go ‘OK, those two or three years where he was copping it a bit as a young kid have certainly helped him’.

“I am still hoping I will be around playing footy by then and I can see him doing his thing with the best tickets in the house — on field — but even though in a couple of years’ time, if I’m not playing watching him play, it will be pretty cool.”

The clash against fellow perennial battlers North Melbourne at Optus Stadium presents the Eagles with a chance to snap a 14-game losing streak.

After starting as massive $15 outsiders ahead of their 59-point season-opening loss to Gold Coast, the Eagles are the $2.50 underdogs to beat the Kangaroos ($1.50), who are coming off a shock victory over Port Adelaide in round one.

Yeo shut down suggestions there was added pressure this week because of the outside noise around it being a winnable match for the reigning wooden spooners.

“It’s no different in terms of pressure,” he said.

“Every game’s winnable, so all games are high-pressure games at the end of the day.”