Prominent AFL player manager Liam Pickering says he would have absolutely no problems with one of his players heading to West Coast, despite the pit the club finds itself in.
The Eagles are in such a deep crisis with on-field performance and off-field injuries that it has been suggested that likely number one pick Harley Reid should refuse to be taken by them in the draft.
Pickering runs Bravo Talent Management which includes players like Darcy Moore, Jacob Weitering, Jack Riewoldt and Tom Liberatore. He is confident in the infrastructure of the Eagles and that they will turn things around.
“Harley Reid might be really happy to go to the West Coast. If I’ve got a player and West Coast are interested, I’d have no problem sending them to West Coast because they’re a great club,” Pickering told SEN WA Breakfast.
“They’re having a shocking run at the moment, but I don’t think anyone will be steering players away from West Coast if they get the opportunity, regardless of what’s going on at the moment, and they’ve had a horrible year.
“They’re a powerful club, they’re one of the wealthiest clubs in the competition, they’re a very, very good club. They’re having a bad run at the minute, but if I had a player keen I’d have no problem sending them there.”
Pickering believes Reid likely falls into the right mould of Victorian players who have had success interstate.
“Harley Reid is an interesting one because he’s a really talented player – I don’t know the kid, but he’s a country kid,” he said.
“The interstate clubs, and Brisbane is a really good example of a team that lost a ton of players, and they went ‘enough is enough’ and they took country kids who have already moved away from home.
“Harley Reid is in that boat. He fits that himself. It doesn’t matter where he goes, he’s moving, even if it’s a Melbourne-based club.
“You’ve got to back your system and your club is.
“Adelaide has done it. Now they’ve given out long-term deals to kids who have played 20 games like Jake Soligo and Josh Rachele, but the kids are happy.
“Back your club in and back your system in and they can come back pretty quick West Coast.”
GWS could have as many as three top 10 draft picks this year, given they currently own their own and Richmond’s and could receive a top-end compensation pick if free agent Harry Himmelberg leaves the club.
Pickering believes West Coast would be silly not to take the package of picks if it was offered for the top selection in the draft.
“If you can get three picks inside the top 10, and you look at this year’s draft pool there’s sort of a dozen really top players I think,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s a really deep draft this year to be honest, but the top end is really good so if you can get three players for the price of one, North Melbourne did it last year, I think we’ve seen with George Wardlaw and Harry Sheezel that it was a bit of a no-brainer.”
The former Geelong player doesn’t believe the Eagles have hit rock bottom yet, however.
“I think there is a little more pain to come just because of the demographic of their top-end players,” Pickering said.
“They’ve got a lot of players who aren’t playing – that’s just the reality of it – so the strength and conditioning is an area they’ve already addressed by the looks of it.
“They’ve got a strange list setup because their profile is a lot of money in top-end older players who are not playing and then young ones, so there’s a massive gulf between the 30-year-old types and the real young ones, who I think are alright.
“They’ve just got a hole in the middle of their list and they need to address it in the trade period and the draft and try and build their list that way.”