Reid’s Former Coach Opens Up Following Challenging Derby Performance: ‘He Can’t Resist’

Fremantle’s standout player Caleb Serong has etched his name into the history books, matching club legend Paul Hasleby by winning his fourth Glendinning–Allan Medal during a heated encounter with West Coast, which included a brawl with Harley Reid.

This victory marks a significant turnaround for the Dockers after a sluggish start to the season, as they convincingly triumphed over their western derby rivals with a scoreline of 15.16 (105) to 10.8 (68).

Serong’s achievement of winning the Glendinning–Allan Medal in four straight years is unprecedented. It’s worth noting that West Coast superstar Chris Judd previously held the record for the most consecutive wins, securing three in a row.

The Fremantle star recorded 35 disposals and secured 10 clearances, with most of his impactful play occurring in a lively first half.

The Dockers were in dire need of this win after commencing their season with back-to-back defeats, and they managed to seize control of the game after the first quarter.

West Coast, however, suffered further setbacks when star key defender Jeremy McGovern sustained a groin injury. Along with the earlier decision to substitute Harry Edwards, it placed the young talent Reid in a difficult spot as he took on defensive duties to finish the match.

While Reid had spent some time in defence during his junior career, this marked his first experience in a defensive role at the AFL level, often tasked with matching up against Fremantle’s key forward Jye Amiss.

He made some aggressive moves from half back, even taking a shot on goal while occasionally being caught out of position during a Freo transition goal late in the game.

His former coach Adam Simpson noted that their initial plan was to have him play down back in 2024, although he ultimately played mainly in a midfield role.

“The idea of Harley moving to defence last year was to get him more involved with the ball,” Simpson explained to Fox Footy.

“At the moment, he’s focused on improving and overall, he’s had a pretty good game today.”

The 19-year-old’s frustration boiled over towards the end of the match as he shoved Serong to the ground, igniting a scuffle in the final moments.

“Serong acted up a bit, but that wasn’t really necessary,” Simpson remarked.

“We’ve spoken to Harley about managing emotions, and we did last year too. It’s a process. His competitive spirit kicks in sometimes, and while he is working towards improvement, those little moments still crop up.”

Fremantle icon Matthew Pavlich commented during the broadcast, “I can’t understand why he does it.”

“There’s still much he can learn.”

Serong remained tight-lipped about the scuffle post-match but acknowledged it was unexpected.

The former number one draft pick executed a spectacular hanger and kicked a goal in the third quarter, although he remained largely subdued otherwise.

West Coast faces another challenging task next weekend as they head east to battle GWS, while Fremantle will take on the Western Bulldogs at home next Sunday evening.