Brisbane star Lachie Neale has added to the chorus of people showing support for scrutinised West Coast youngster Harley Reid, telling media on Tuesday to "lay off" the 19-year-old.
Reid has captured media attention since his arrival at West Coast through the 2023 AFL draft, drawing headlines seemingly daily before he had even played a game.
Reid silenced doubters in his first year with glimpses of his powerful talent, but an interrupted pre-season and average return on the stat sheet has yielded criticism from AFL opinionists, arguing against Reid's match fitness and whether he is distracted on the field.
The 19-year-old has been engaging in trash-talking spats and physical niggles in both games against Gold Coast and Brisbane, and signalled a middle finger to a heckling Lions fan on Sunday.
The act has propelled conversation about Reid further, fuelling the fire about his contract call at the Eagles and whether he is invested in the club. Heavily scrutinised across the AFL landscape, many pundits, former players, and now current opposition, have gone in to bat for Reid as the young star navigates achieving his best football with a media target on his back.
Neale was one of those who came to the defence of Reid as he received backlash for his actions and performance against West Coast on the weekend.
"I think that people need to lay off him a bit and just let him play footy," Neale said.
"I've seen a lot of commentary around him, he's a young man trying to find his way in a difficult environment, especially in Perth, the media can be quite relentless.
"It's not a dig at you guys (media) at all, but I think some of the media around him has been horrific, to be honest, and I just want to see the kid play some good footy and enjoy himself.
"At the moment it probably seems like he's not and a lot of that is to do with the distractions outside. He's a 19-year-old kid who's trying to find his way, I just want him to play good footy.
"I don't really blame him for the way he's acting at the moment. I'm sure he's got good people around him that will help."
Neale said he didn't notice Reid being agitated or on edge in the game, as many commentators argue the Eagles star is searching for a fight rather than focussing on the game.
"I didn't notice too much of what was happening, I saw the aftermath and some of the vision but when I was out there I didn't see too much of it," Neale said.
"I just want to see that kid do really well and I hope we see the best of him in a West Coast jumper and I hope the media back off him and just let him play footy."
West Coast have a fiery clash lined up ahead however as they take on cross-town rivals Fremantle on Sunday.
Reid was prolific in his first Derby outing, kicking three goals and recording seven clearances in Round 6 last year.
