Reid finished among the best for his side in the 10.10 (70) to 16.24 (120) loss, looking comfortable in his first match at the elite level.
Having faced massive amounts of pressure since being taken with the first selection in the 2023 AFL National Draft, Reid hushed sceptics by finding plenty of the ball in the opening minutes at Adelaide Oval.
Thrown straight into the guts and attending the first centre bounce, the young gun racked up eight disposals and two clearances in the first term, while also being directly involved in the passage of play that led to the Eagles’ first goal.
Reid ended with 16 disposals, using the ball at a tidy 88 per cent efficiency, while displaying his ability on the inside by winning five clearances and nine contested possessions and laying two tackles.
His debut was not without incident, however, with the number one pick finding his wallet $1250 lighter after being sanctioned by the match review officer for making careless contact with an umpire in the first quarter.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson was happy with the 18-year-old’s output, noting that Reid looked assured at AFL level.
“He’s a good kid, he’s pretty resilient and I thought he was pretty good today,” he said.
“They (AFL debutants) are all not the finished product as well so as long as we just temper our expectations and know if they contribute and do enough to hold their spot, then we’re pretty happy.
“It looks like he picked up the pace of the game pretty well. He’s physically fine so he’ll just pick up his endurance as he goes.”
While Reid was introduced through the middle, he also spent time up forward, with his role to be refined over the coming weeks, according to Simpson.
“I’m just glad he got through,” he said.
“He started on-ball and just rested forward for five or six minutes each quarter. We’ll keep exploring that.”
The use of the versatile Reid up forward on the weekend was a deliberate tactic, Simpson said, with the Eagles coaching staff not wanting to overwhelm the first-gamer.
“We just don’t want to get too much information for Harley,” he said.
“Going to the backline meetings, the centre-bounce meeting, the midfield meeting — you don’t want to cook him out.
“It’s easy just to go play out of the goal square for five minutes.”
Reid’s impressive debut showed plenty of the ‘generational talent’ highlighted throughout the pre-season, with the media attention something Simpson touched on in his press conference.
“(There has been) a lot of attention on Harley throughout pre-season,” Simpson said.
“He’s probably used to it. But I think he’s at home when he’s on the ground and playing footy.”
The Eagles will face GWS in round two at Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday evening, before Reid will have the opportunity to play his first game for West Coast in Victoria against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Easter Sunday in round three.
