St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has become the latest AFL figurehead to sympathise with Harley Reid after West Coast’s No.1 draft pick was stripped of the chance to win the Rising Star award. Reid will miss games against North Melbourne and Essendon either side of West Coast’s bye after being slapped with a two-match ban for a dangerous sling tackle .
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The tackle that coast Harley Reid the Rising Star. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today West Coast challenged the ruling at the AFL tribunal in a bid to halve the suspension, but were unsuccessful. Reid was the raging-hot favourite to win the Rising Star award, but is now ineligible due to the ban.
In a twist of fate, St Kilda’s Darcy Wilson, who was the one tackled by Reid, is now the third favourite to win the award behind only North Melbourne duo George Wardlaw and Colby McKercher. Western Bulldogs forward Sam Darcy would have been the new favourite, but he is also out of the running after copping a two-match ban. Geelong coach Chris Scott has been among the critics who believe players should still be able to win the award even if they have been suspended.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell believes players should only be ruled out if their suspension was for an intentional act, rather than careless. Lyon — the AFL villain who masterminded the hard tag on Reid that led to his frustrating afternoon and the controversial tackle — also thinks along a similar path. “The first-year player, fairest .
