- Sports editor sent shocking death threats over Reid coverage
- Some fans believe the West Coast star has been overrated
- Reid is a generational talent who lives up to his hype.
The sports editor of a major Australian newspaper has spoken openly about the shocking death threats he received for his coverage of West Coast number one draft pick Harley Reid.
West’s Jake Waddell Has revealed some of the ‘dozens and dozens’ of alarming messages she has received via social media recently while covering the teen sensation.
‘If I ever see you in Perth, I will attack you. I’ll enjoy it too,” said a message posted on X.
“You have to kill yourself,” said another.
“Resign or I will burn down your office,” said a third.
The West sports editor Jake Waddell received death threats over the publication’s coverage of rising Eagles star Harley Reid (pictured).
The 19-year-old West Coast star is the most hyped number one draft pick in AFL history and has so far lived up to his hype.
Reid, 19, is the most hyped number one draft pick in AFL history, and he’s truly living up to his hype.
Reid’s growing popularity is on track to rival that of Nic Naitanui and Ben Cousins in their heyday, but some Western Australian football fans believe he is in danger of being overrated by the media.
Waddell doesn’t flinch from his publication’s “crazy” coverage of Reid, but he is a little concerned about threats to assault or murder him over a simple front page in the newspaper’s sports section.
Reid went toe-to-toe with Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, with the Magpies defeating West Coast by 66 points.
Daicos continued his excellent form with 36 disposals, 17 contested possessions, seven clearances, seven tackles and a goal as Collingwood improved to 5-1-3 ahead of a clash with Adelaide.
Reid (17) made a spectacular early mark riding Billy Frampton and team-mate Jack Darling, but it was one of the few memorable moments for the visitors.
Coach Adam Simpson admitted his players were overwhelmed by Collingwood’s pressure and central rebound dominance early on, but was pleased with their fightback after half-time.
Some football fans are concerned that the media is overrating the young player.
“We’re disappointed, but we don’t think we’ve taken a step back in the sense that everything we’ve done in the last five weeks is worthless,” Simpson said.
“We played against a really good team and we improved in the first half.”
“They committed as much as they could (in the second half) and we saw a bit of growth, but I think Collingwood probably knew the game was won and took their foot off the pedal a bit.”
