Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
West Coast hope the budding bromance between Harley Reid and Willem Duursma will yield the same results as the Trent Cotchin-Dustin Martin bond of the powerful Richmond premiership era.
Duursma, the No.1 draft pick from 2025, was in tears following last week’s 11-point loss to Richmond.
The 19-year-old was comforted by Reid as they digested the loss out on the field, with the poignant moment captured by a photographer.
“It was clearly a pretty challenging moment for him,” Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said.
“But for me, the way he was supported is the most important part.
“I said to our players, that photo with him and Harley, that’ll be an iconic photo about care and their love and support for each other, and hopefully everyone cares about the game as much as Willem does.”
Reid knows all about the pressures of being a No.1 pick in a losing side, having tasted 49 defeats from 59 games since being snared at the end of 2023.
Duursma was friends with Reid even before arriving at the Eagles at the end of last year and their bond has continued to grow.
McQualter, a former assistant coach at Richmond, experienced the powerful bond between champion duo Martin and Cotchin as the Tigers snared flags in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
There’s hope Reid and Duursma’s connection will play a big role in helping lead West Coast back to the promised land in the not-too-distant future.
“It is genuine care for each other. They want each other to be great players,” McQualter said.
“They both know they’re going to be great players, If I’m being honest, and they bounce off each other in terms of what they can see in the game and what they can do.
“I saw it in my previous experience with Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin, their ability to understand each other in the game.
“They ended up playing 15 years together, those two. That’s what we hope for Harley and Willem as well.
“The reality is these two have the chance to build a really great foundation of what our football club could be, and they’ll be at the forefront of that.”
West Coast (4-16) will be aiming to cause an upset when they host injury-hit Collingwood (11-8-1) at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
The Pies have lost Scott Pendlebury (corked calf), Jordan De Goey (glute), Jeremy Howe (fractured arm), Harry Perryman (hamstring) and Patrick Lipinski (calf) to injury, with key defender Noah Howes named for his AFL debut.
