AFL rebrand socials after West Coast Eagle Harley Reid as Max Gawn predicts Brownlow Medals in his future

The AFL has jumped aboard the high-flying Harley Reid bandwagon, rebranding their social media accounts after the young Eagles star as Demons premiership ruckman Max Gawn also fawned over the teen sensation with a bold claim.

The old adage goes if you can’t beat them, join them and that’s exactly what the AFL has done in the wake of The West Australian’s extensive Reid coverage.

The organisation changed their Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, bios on Monday to “The Harley Reid fan club” after his enthralling 19 disposals, seven clearances and three goal performance in his debut derby on Saturday night, just a week after claiming a Rising Star nod.

Fans were quick to respond to the AFL’s Harley-mania but West Coast diehards must have been frothing when they heard Gawn’s bold prediction for their new messiah.

“I’m all in. I am right on (the Reid) wagon. In like four to five years, I’m going to be over him, I daresay, because I reckon he’ll probably have two Brownlow (Medals) by then,” he said on Triple M.

“But right now… I turned off the Brisbane game with two finals contenders to watch the Derby with West Coast and it was enthralling. I was on the edge of my seat watching Harley Reid.”

Gawn wasn’t the only premiership player to predict big things for a Reid-led West Coast with Brisbane legend Alastair Lynch saying even a 10-year contract wouldn’t be enough to lock down the gun.

“Would you be tempted to go 15?” he told Neds AFL Unpopular Opinions podcast.

“You’d put the sheet in front of him and just say fill it out, just fill in the blanks.

“He can absolutely play, you need your experienced players to stand up to support these kids, I’m just feeling that he’s lifted these experienced players. His enthusiasm and the way he goes about it he’s actually inspired the others to lift.”

Melbourne great Garry Lyon was emphatic on The Couch, claiming Reid was worth far more to West Coast than the money they can pay him.

“There’s no price that’s too much for that bloke, he said.

“How much is he worth to West Coast? More than any cheque they can write.”

Six games into his career, Reid has already been labelled a generational talent and compared to the games best.

“When Nat Fyfe was absolutely humming in 2015 and won his Brownlow… Harley Reid was doing things on Saturday night that Fyfe was doing back then, in my opinion,” former Swan and Saint Dan Hannebery told SEN.

AFL legend Leigh Matthews told Nine’s Footy Furnace: “There might be a $2 million player in the next five years when the salary cap goes up a little bit.

“I wasn’t thinking about Harley Reid at the time but when you talk about the circumstances and what he’s done in his first month, if you could tie him up from his twenties to his thirties — I think you do it.”