West Coast’s Harley Reid voted AFL Players Association’s best-first year player by peers

He couldn’t claim the Rising Star nod, but Harley Reid has joined an illustrious group of West Coast stars to be voted by fellow players as the AFL Players’ Association’s Best First-Year Player.

The teen sensation joins Brownlow medallist and premiership skipper Chris Judd and his 2006 premiership teammate Daniel Kerr as Eagles to claim the prestigious award, which is voted on by his AFL peers.

Reid, 19, claimed the award ahead of St Kilda’s Darcy Wilson and Melbourne’s Caleb Windsor, with North Melbourne defender Colby McKercher and Geelong’s West Australian draftee Lawson Humphries rounding out the top five.

The No.1 draftee had an extraordinary maiden season for the Eagles, averaging 19 disposals, four tackles, three inside 50s and five clearances as well as kicking 10 goals from his first 20 games.

Reid was ineligible to win the Ron Evans Medal as the AFL Rising Star because of a two-game suspension for rough conduct on Wilson in round 12.

The Victorian-product burst onto the scene with a 16-disposal, five clearance effort on debut against Port Adelaide in round one before stamping himself as a star in the Eagles’ first win of the season against Richmond — collecting 27 touches, seven clearances and a goal.

Reid backed it up in his first western derby appearance with 19 touches and three goals, while he booted two goals from 21 touches in the round 10 victory over Melbourne.

“For me it was a huge opportunity to get across to the Eagles,” Reid said.

“It’s was a bit of a rollercoaster year but it’s gone so quick, it feels like I just got drafted yesterday.”

Reid said it was humbling to join a list of names including Sydney’s Errol Gulden, Collingwood’s Nick Daicos and Fremantle’s Caleb Serong as a winner of the award.

“You look at them and see what they’ve done in the short time they’ve been in the league and it’s so humbling when you sit back and look at what they can do,” he said.

“For me it’s just to figure out those areas to keep getting better and improving week to week to become the best player I possibly can.”

Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli etched his name in the history books by winning a third Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL Players’ Most Valuable Player.

Voted by his peers, Bontempelli claimed consecutive awards, having taken home the trophy in 2021 and 2023 with only five-time winner Gary Ablett Jnr (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013) having been given the honour more in its 43-year history.

Bontempelli, 28, averaged 26 disposals and kicked 31 goals in his 23 matches this year to win the award ahead of 2019 winner Patrick Cripps and Sydney star Isaac Heeney.

He also won the best captain ahead of Cripps and Essendon’s Zach Merrett.

Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters won the Robert Rose Most Courageous Award ahead of Swan James Rowbottom and outgoing Richmond star Liam Baker.