West Coast questioned over call to let Harley Reid visit family in Victoria while being rested

In short: AFL legend Paul Roos has questioned whether Harley Reid's Victoria trip is an example of player power going too far.

AFL legend Paul Roos has questioned whether Harley Reid's Victoria trip is an example of player power going too far. Reid, who was rested by the Eagles in Round 7, was allowed to visit his family in Victoria on his week off while West Coast faced the Gold Coast.

Reid, who was rested by the Eagles in Round 7, was allowed to visit his family in Victoria on his week off while West Coast faced the Gold Coast. What's next? Reid is expected to return for the Eagles' clash against Essendon at Perth Stadium on Saturday night.

AFL legend Paul Roos has questioned whether West Coast's decision to allow Harley Reid to visit his family while being rested is an example of player power going too far.

Reid was rested for West Coast's Round 7 clash against Gold Coast with Eagles coach Adam Simpson explaining the club's internal measurements had indicated his body was "flagging".

The 19-year-old was given the opportunity to travel back to Victoria to spend some time with his family on his week off.

Roos, who played 356 games for Fitzroy and Sydney, said it was "ridiculous" that Reid had been allowed to fly across the country, given the physical toll the long flights have on players based in Perth.

"I understand giving him the weekend off, but what I'm saying is, the reason that it becomes tiring for West Coast and Freo is the flights," he told the ABC's AFL Daily podcast.

"If he's not fit to play, why is he OK to fly back and see his family? We can only assume that was a part of the deal of the recruiting. He's a No.1 draft pick so you're going to bend over.

"I don't understand it because he's an AFL player getting paid to play AFL football and his team is playing.

Roos said if Reid was injured and not available, then he should be in rehab and at home in Western Australia.

"But I understand that if you want to keep the No.1 draft pick (at the club) and you're strategising so he can to back and see his family," he said.

Reid starred in consecutive weeks, including in the Western Derby against Fremantle, before West Coast opted to rest him for the Suns clash. ( AFL Photos via Getty Images: Daniel Carson )

"We shouldn't be talking about it because he should be playing, and 20-30 years ago he would be playing. But now, we've got this ridiculous complexity around free agency.

"Let's not forget what happened with Jason Horne-Francis. He played one year at the North Melbourne Football Club and got traded, so the players have all the power now."

Reid will return for Saturday night's clash against Essendon after his week off, but Roos said West Coast was running the risk of dropping its standards by catering for a single player.

"It's not a great look for the West Coast Eagles, let's be perfectly frank," he said.

"If they lose him and sacrifice the standards at the footy club, then it's a lose-lose. The standards of the football club should always override a player every single time.

"That's not to say it's not a part of the discussion with the leadership group, and the leadership group might've said it's fine, but if you start dropping your standards, you stand for nothing."

Roos, who coached Sydney between 2002 and 2010, suggested clubs should weigh up the "go-home" factor heavily when drafting players from interstate. He revealed how the Swans had chosen future club captain Jarrad McVeigh in the 2002 draft over other prospects purely because he was from New South Wales.

"We had pick five and we went for Jarrad McVeigh because he was a NSW kid, 100 per cent," he recalled.

"We were weighing up two or three players with that pick, one I remember was a Victorian kid, and we took Jarrad McVeigh because we knew he was going to stay in NSW.

"You have to weigh it up. I would be surprised had West Coast not weighed up trading the No.1 pick last year knowing it was Harley Reid. It's a huge risk.

"If North Melbourne had traded the No.1 pick instead of taking Jason Horne-Francis, they would've got a lot more for it. Now it's tough to do, but they would've had those conversations."

Click here to read article