On Friday afternoon Harley Reid took in the sights of an immaculate Tongala Recreation Reserve as one of the biggest days of his life nears.
Tomorrow night is the night for Reid, who after two years of garnering the most hype of any potential AFL draftee is in Melbourne to learn where his immediate future will take him when his name is read out in the AFL National Draft at 7pm.
Projected to be pick one — a tag he has held for the better part of a year-and-a-half — the 18-year-old from the country town of less than 2000 people has juggled the hype and pressure surrounding him with a smile on his face.
Ahead of night one of the draft, Reid spoke to The Riverine Herald about how he’s taking it all in as he prepares to trade Tonny for the AFL.
“I’m pretty chill at the moment,” Reid said.
“It’s pretty surreal to be honest, it doesn’t really feel like it’s on Monday night. The last month has just gone like that, to be honest, and it’s been a long two years, I’ll tell you that now.
“It feels like it’s taken ages, but at the moment it’s felt quick, like it’s coming around like no tomorrow.
“Once it gets a little bit closer, I reckon it will start to sink in.”
Reid has been the subject of intense scrutiny in AFL circles during 2023, before even playing a single game, but has justified the hype in appearances for Bendigo Pioneers, the AFL Academy side and in VFL stints for Carlton and Essendon.
The young gun sat out this year’s draft combine as a precautionary measure, looking after a troublesome knee.
But he’s now returned to a full training load, declaring he’s ready to go.
“I’m actually back to full training now,” Reid said.
“It was probably more precaution with how it felt and within the time period I was at it probably wasn’t the best time to get back into full training.
“But (the combine) was a good experience, being there and meeting with the clubs and seeing the other boys go about it.”
It’s his form guide throughout the season, however, that has had Reid a lock for top billing, poised to follow in the footsteps of some of his country football predecessors.
“(The hype) is another thing I haven’t really thought about too much,” Reid said.
“To be in the position I am, I’m just super grateful and to be getting the opportunity to be invited on the first night is obviously huge.
“It’s good to look at the names of players who have gone in the draft from Bendigo (Pioneers), it’s something huge and something I really pride myself off. You see the names that have gone through like Selwood, Dusty Martin, Ollie Wines, like there’s a few big names there.”
Monday night’s draft will have Reid firmly in the spotlight, but the overriding advice from others who have been there, including last year’s number one selection, is to soak in the moment.
“I’ve kept in touch with Aaron Cadman a bit, he obviously went pick one,” Reid said.
“He went pick one last year to GWS, as well as a few other boys that went who have been through that experience last year.
“They said just soak it all in, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity obviously, so I’m so keen for it.
“(Echuca export and Eagle Noah Long) has been huge for me the last probably month or so, with probably a bit of potential of me heading over there. Obviously he’s been through the experience I may go through.
“He’s done the move and he’s experienced a lot of things out there and what it’s like and how it was to move away from his family.”
Reid made the trip to Melbourne on Sunday with parents Mark and Vanessa and, while he wishes everyone involved in the journey could be there on the night, he’ll be feeling the love and support from his home town when Tongala Football Netball Club holds a screening of the draft at its clubrooms.
“I feel like Monday will go forever. I’ll be hanging out until it starts,” he said.
“It’s probably a humbling time to chill with my family and friends. It’s hard you can’t have everyone there on the night that’s been involved in your journey. There are so many people I’d love to have with me come along, but again I know they’ll be watching and I can’t wait.”
The effort and sacrifices made by his family for him to get to this point have not been lost on Reid, who feels like the hype around him this year has affected those closest to him at certain points.
“I feel like it’s taken tolls on them at times,” he said.
“I probably don’t speak about it as much to them as I probably should and I don’t really talk much footy at home with the outside noise.
“I couldn’t have done it without them. And it’s probably not a bad thing, to be honest, like after games it’s not really footy, footy, footy.”
Wherever he falls in the draft, a move away from home is inevitable for Reid, with number one pick-holder West Coast the prime candidate to snap up his services.
Looking out over the surface of Tongala Recreation Reserve, Reid took a moment to reflect on his time as a Tonny local and sportsman.
“This is where it all started, really,” he said.
“You look around, there’s a lot of memories out here. It’s great to be part of the journey. I couldn’t ask (for more) being brought up in a small community town. I’m super grateful for that.
“I remember ‘parents vs kids’ out here, muddy days, running through the middle. Even just the journey of starting under-14s. When Saturday comes, there’s under-14s, 17s, seconds and seniors — that whole day of footy used to be my highlight for the week.
“You go through the whole week at school and all you look forward to is Saturday. Everyone’s involved, everyone talks to you, everyone’s equal. I have so many memories out here.”
But despite allegations to the contrary, Reid is excited to make his way out into the world as he prepares to make the move away.
“Obviously either way, I’m moving,” he said.
“I feel like it’s my time to get out in the real world and go try something different, and there could be worse things I could be leaving the town for.
“I’m excited for what it holds. I’ll definitely miss this place, but it’s only a quick stint away initially, three weeks away and then back for Christmas.”
Amid the fervour surrounding Reid, it’s easy to forget he has also been tasked with juggling his VCE studies.
That challenge is now behind him, with the St Joseph’s student wrapping up his exams earlier this month.
“At the start it was pretty hard, to be honest,” Reid said.
“I didn’t really show as much interest as I should have. Footy has always been a part of me and I always kind of leant back onto it.
“Footy took a big chunk out of my schooling. Most weeks I would miss a day or so, and even when I was at a VFL club, on a Wednesday I would leave at 12 and then get home at 12 at night. They’re big days, and then you’ve got no time to study.
“I didn’t think I’d ever say it, but study probably helped me get away from that footy world and get my head back on to school to try and find that balance.
“All I wanted to do was get my VCE certificate and get through Year 12, which I can look back at now that I’ve done it and I’ve passed, so that’s all I’m grateful for.”
There will be no shortage of St Joseph’s talent vying for a spot on an AFL list.
Reid’s schoolmates Oliver Poole and Hugh Byrne, as well as Pioneers teammate Oskar Smartt, are all in with a chance of being drafted as well.
Echuca United’s Poole crafted a consistent season for the Pioneers, as did Leitchville-Gunbower mid-forward Smartt, while Byrne announced himself as an impressive key tall for Bendigo and Echuca, where he played in the club’s GVL flag.
And while football will see Reid leave the place he has called home for the past 18 years, the local lad will always keep Tongala and its people close to his heart, no matter the heights he reaches.
“They support one another like no tomorrow,” he said.
“The support they’ve shown for me from day one to get to where I am is just huge and the trust they have for me and the trust I have for them is something that I’ll probably value for the rest of my life, really.”