Fremantle Dockers’ drafting of Victorian Murphy Reid could be the perfect type of selection for the club

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir spent Monday and Tuesday in mining town Karratha, but after making the trip to Melbourne for Wednesday’s national draft, he’ll be hoping his recruiters have mined some gold in draftee Murphy Reid. Entering the draft at pick 17 is always a lottery. That’s normally the pick which goes to the team that finishes runner-up in the grand final, but the Dockers missed the eight and then traded their early selections to get Shai Bolton from Richmond. The Dockers would have been hoping that somebody they rated highly would still be available and they got their hands on Vic Metro’s MVP from the under-18 national championships, who was also picked in the All-Australian team and has won back-to-back premierships for Sandringham Dragons. Reid’s under-18s coach in Victoria called him a top-five pick leading into the draft. Other experts had him ranked in the teens, but there is no doubt that the teenager has an elite under-age resume. One of only four players to average 25 disposals and one goal per game in Victoria’s Coates League, Reid has shown a unique ability to step through congestion to give himself space. That skill has even had him compared to Collingwood superstar Scott Pendlebury. Reid kicks goals as a midfielder too and that’s a part of the game that the Dockers have been trying to improve upon. It always felt likely that the Dockers would be picking someone from interstate. Fremantle haven’t used their first pick in a national draft to recruit someone from inner-Melbourne since 2017. They called out Andrew Brayshaw’s name that day. Brayshaw played for Sandringham Dragons too. They’d have been thrilled by the reaction of Reid’s family and friends. Sometimes players can show signs of disappointment when they’re recruited interstate. But the Reid’s were quick to embrace the concept of the move to Perth. They’ll be hoping now that Murphy’s Law is one that brings them plenty of success and adds another dimension to a team that already has a strong midfield and is dreaming about leading the club to its first premiership.