opinion
Justin Langer: Too much pressure on West Coast Eagles’ No.1 pick Harley Reid? Get real, that’s not the reality

Harley Reid. If you haven’t heard his name over the last six months, you must have been living under a rock. For those who haven’t, Harley is a young footballer who was this week drafted by the West Coast Eagles. Article after article has been written about him. There has been speculation and opinion about whether he would end up here in the west or not. So-called experts have weighed in on his future, as have the keyboard warriors, mums, dads, kids, tradies, executives, real estate agents, baristas, and coaches. In other words, I have been asked by so many people about whether the Eagles would take Harley, that the conversation became quite amusing. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, I have heard the words, ‘I have heard it on good authority’ that the kid does/doesn’t want to come to the Eagles, will/won’t be taken by the club, or might be a part of this, that, or the other at the trade table. Whenever I hear the words, ‘I have heard it on good authority’ I tend to smile these days, raise my eyebrows, or shrug my shoulders and let the Chinese whispers take their course like feathers in the wind. Now that the feathers have landed and the facts are known, what of Harley Reid? I haven’t met him yet. I am sure I will soon, but like most AFL fans, I have seen a few short highlights of him playing. It appears he has enormous talent and looks set for a wonderful career. But time will tell. What I do know is that Harley is in for the time of his life. Paid a salary to get super fit, play the game he loves and hang out with a bunch of mates chasing a common cause. Having been in his shoes, life as a professional sportsman is a blast, an adrenaline rush, where lifelong friends can be made. During the week it was put to me that the kid must be under so much pressure. ‘Just let him go and be a kid. Poor young bloke must be feeling all this extra pressure from the constant speculation and expectation of becoming a star.’ This sentiment is sound, but the truth is, get real, that is not the reality of the day. A few weeks ago The West Australian’s Craig O’Donoghue wrote that maybe Harley Reid, and others into the future, should be paid more money as the No1 draft target. An extra $100,000 was the suggestion. Craig wrote: “Reid deserves more (money) simply for the pressure he’s already dealing with. He deserves the money for the spotlight he lives under. He deserves it for the interviews and photos he’s already done, for the autographs he’s already signed and the selfies he’s already taken. “He deserves it for the years of talk that will follow him, because there’s no guarantee he’ll be the best player — and it’s not his fault he’s going to be selected at pick one.” My view is different. Sure, Harley might have been reading and hearing a lot about himself over the last 12 months. Sure, there might be high expectations and hopes from inside and outside of their world, but the truth is he will have to get used to it. Especially, now that he has formally entered the AFL system. If he, or anyone of the young men who were drafted this week, think for a second that the noise of the lead-up was hard to handle, here’s a warning: you have only just set foot into the jungle of this industry. The lead-up to the draft will act as a good apprenticeship for what he can expect in the AFL. When young cricketer Cameron Green made his first-class cricket debut for WA, I affectionately nicknamed him ‘Jungle’, a moniker I still call him today. Here was a gangly, super-talented teenager, whose future in the game looked uber exciting. Sitting in the changing room in that first game I watched him closely knowing this was the first day of a wild roller-coaster that comes with the territory of professional sport. With all the sport stars we watch on TV, we tend to see the glamour of the ride. The excitement from family and friends we witnessed on Monday night — when the names of the young men were read out by AFL boss Andrew Dillon — was a magical moment. Getting drafted or selected is a great honour. The moment is exciting, and humbling. When I was first selected to play cricket for Australia my Mum, who had arms like spaghetti, lifted me up and cuddled me like a newborn baby. She was so proud, as was my Dad, siblings, friends, and anyone who had played a role in my selection. That was a magic moment for me, as it was for everyone in the room at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Monday night. Not long after my selection, cricket icon Dennis Lillee rang me and said, ‘Well done, great effort, but remember it is only now that the hard work begins’. His advice was profound, as I have found out as a player and a coach. At the time I wasn’t exactly sure of what my idol was telling me, but now I do. The noise is just a fraction of the stress faced when striving to become a star. Let’s take Harley as an example. He arrived in Perth on Friday. From here the next chapter of his journey begins. Pre-season has already started and there are times when his lungs and heart will feel like they will burst out of his chest. His legs will turn to jelly — as will every muscle in his body — when the strength and conditioning coaches get him into the program required to ready his body for the rigours of the AFL. After training he will be required to jump in ice baths for the next however many years he plays for, (one of the reasons I retired is so that I never had to have another ice bath in my life — not much fun). He will be measured from the moment he wakes up, until the time he goes to sleep. Even that will be monitored. AFL pre-season training is not for the faint of heart. Although most will admit it is nice feeling and looking ripped without the weekly pressure of win/loss ratios. Then there’s the diet. A couple of weeks ago, Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps told me he hadn’t eaten chocolate or a lolly for 18 months. Matt Priddis used to measure every ounce of food that went into his mouth, as did most of his teammates. Ice cream, alcohol, cakes and biscuits become a taboo subject for most days of the year. This is all in the quest for physical excellence. For the rest of his career, Harley will have to be super-disciplined with every move he makes off the football field. With cameras, phones, and social media as they are today, any hair out of place will instantly transform him from hero to villain. The sacrifice of nightclubs, music, parties, drinking, junk food and sugar, is often too hard to achieve for young people and that is why not every talented athlete makes it as a professional sportsperson. A young talented friend of mine, admitted to me last weekend when we were talking about the upcoming draft, that the reason he didn’t make it to the AFL was that the attraction of those ‘temptations’ mentioned above outweighed the work and sacrifice required to make it to the top. This is a common story, and it reminds me that talent is only a small part of making it to the top. Of course, it is a crucial component to getting onto the train, but staying on that same train comes down to everything my young mate compromised upon. Compromise and you will not only miss the train, or fall off it, but you might also be destroyed by it. Then there is the money theory of being paid more for the inconvenience of being hyped up as the star. I get it in a sense, but I don’t really. The David Beckham documentary confirmed that when I watched it recently. With more money than most could dream about, Beckham and his wife, Victoria, would be the first to admit that all the money in the world can’t protect them against the vitriol and poison of the noise when inevitable poor performance occurs, or human error turns you into the villain. Not a single cent can keep you immune from the noise when it seems the world has turned against you. I have seen this so many times in my career. Again, I get the sentiment, but I understand the tough reality. Now, all of this might sound like I am deterring young sportspeople from living the dream. That can’t be further from the truth. In the last week, I saw Coldplay put on the greatest show I’ve seen. Chris Martin and his band looked like they were having the time of their lives, as were the crowds at Optus Stadium. The Australian men’s cricket team won the World Cup in India, in front of 130,000 spectators and more than a billion viewers. Describing this euphoria is hard to put into words and they will never forget the experience. Then, a tribe of young men, realised their dreams at the draft when they boarded the AFL train. All this in just one week. What I loved most about watching Harley was that he seemed so happy and ready to take on the challenges ahead. I hope he enjoys these golden moments that are on offer in his life while staying willing to work through the jungle that goes with the ride.

opinionJustin Langer: Too much pressure on West Coast Eagles’ No.1 pick Harley Reid? Get real, that’s not the reality

opinion
Justin Langer: Too much pressure on West Coast Eagles’ No.1 pick Harley Reid? Get real, that’s not the reality