WEST Coast did not do enough to help star midfielder Harley Reid break his tag against Sydney on Saturday night, with coach Andrew McQualter calling on his players to boost their efforts to support the star playmaker this season.
Reid copped his first heavy tag of the season in a humbling 128-point loss to the Swans at Optus Stadium, with disciplined stopper James Jordon restricting the No.1 pick to 17 disposals, one clearance and one mark.
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There was little support for the 20-year-old, whose frustration was evident at times, with McQualter warning the Eagles will need to do more to ensure their best player can shine under continued opposition scrutiny this season.
"Jordon is one of the best taggers in the competition, and I think [Harley] is not the first and he won't be the last player that he does that to. He's just so good at it," McQualter said on Saturday night.
"(But) we didn't help Harley enough. We had some plans in place, but it's going to be part of what we do going forward, because I imagine it's not the last time that he'll get tagged.
"We need Harley playing great footy for us. I think that's what is needed, so his teammates have got to help him do that.
"We tried quite a few different things and we moved him positionally a few times. It wasn't quite the level he's been at the last few weeks, but that's what you get from a 20-year-old."
Reid has made a terrific start to the season, playing a key role in back-to-back wins against North Melbourne and Port Adelaide and maturing as a young leader.
He gave a way a 50m penalty against the Swans on Saturday night for not returning the ball but generally kept his cool until giving away a free kick when supporting teammate Reuben Ginbey.
"He (Ginbey) got hit in the head and didn't get a free kick, so Harley stands up for his teammate. It's not great. He gave a free kick away and the outcome was a goal from 45m on the boundary," McQualter said.
"I don't want Harley to give away free kicks, and we talk about that, but the fact he's trying to stand up for his teammates, it's a pretty good trait."
Saturday night's loss was the fifth heaviest in West Coast history and the club's first triple-figure defeat since 2023, with McQualter declaring the team was not "anywhere near where we need and want to be" after failing to get any part of the game on their terms.
The second-year coach said his team had looked tired in comparison to the fast and fresh Swans, and the emotion of a strong fortnight could have been a factor in the Eagles' flat performance.
"We didn't get carried away at all internally, but there's some emotion to our players with winning a few games, and it looked to just take its toll a little bit," he said.
"We didn't quite have the same energy we've been playing with.
"The game got worse as it went on, and the scoreboard got worse, and we've got to endure for longer. This game's relentless."
Sydney coach Dean Cox was proud of his team's ability to manage a 16-day break and then sustain a four-quarter performance, with the Swans extending their margin at every break and boosting their percentage significantly.
He paid tribute to key forward Charlie Curnow for competing in the air after a period of scrutiny, with the star recruit rewarded for his efforts with four goals after teammates continually looked for the dual Coleman medallist.
"Unless he kicks 150 goals, they (critics) will be saying he's not doing enough. It's just happened all the time," Cox said.
"But the expectation in the first three weeks for us wasn't about only goals.
"We sit down with Charlie, like we do every play every week with a line coach, and go, 'How do we need to get our game better?' And he's been open to that and dived straight into it, which has been really good."