WEST Coast coach Andrew McQualter says the Eagles will look into the treatment of young star Harley Reid and potentially seek clarity from the AFL on how he is being umpired after a volatile Derby for the powerful ball-winner.

Reid will come under Match Review scrutiny after a stray elbow into the chest of Fremantle opponent Matthew Johnson in the final quarter, with the 21-year-old appearing frustrated throughout the 70-point loss as several decisions went against him. 

DOCKERS v EAGLES Full match coverage and stats

He spoke to umpires at quarter time after giving away two free kicks, landing a late hit that resulted in a down-the-field free kick and a Fremantle goal, and appearing to drop a knee into Luke Ryan on the boundary line. 

Reid was also overlooked for apparent free kicks, however, when he was collected in a late bump by Sam Switkowski and caught in a high tackle by Shai Bolton.

McQualter said the Eagles spoke to their star playmaker at quarter time but would also need to look into how he was being officiated in the wake of 70-point loss at Optus Stadium. 

"We spoke to him about solutions. We just refocused him and I thought he did that well after quarter time," McQualter said after the Eagles' fifth straight Derby loss. 

"I thought he was our best ball winner. I think he had 12 clearances and 15 contested [possessions], almost double anyone else in our team. So I loved the way he went about it.

"He had a few challenges throughout the night as well, and we'll keep supporting him and working with him."

Asked directly about supporting Reid when he is not being rewarded with free kicks, McQualter said the Eagles would assess the game first and speak to the AFL if they needed to. 

"I can't talk to it specifically, I'm not allowed to, but we will definitely look closely at it and look to get some clarity if we think there's some inconsistency in the way that Harley's been treated," the coach said. 

"We'll just work with the AFL. We'll go look at the tape and if we think there's something there that's worth asking, we'll do it."

McQualter said Friday night's loss was comprehensive and the 70-point margin had flattered his team after conceding 11 of the last 12 goals in the second half, with the Eagles "flat" after three strong weeks. 

He highlighted the Dockers' ability to break their tackles, skill errors that were impossible to defend, and a lack of forward supply that left their three tall forwards with a combined six marks for the game. 

Midfielder Oliver Francou was taken from the ground late after a graphic injury, cutting his knee on the bottom of Andrew Brayshaw's boots after sliding awkwardly in a tackle, with a stint on the sidelines appearing likely. 

"It was a pretty scary incident. It's a big nasty gash, and we're going to have to wait. I don't exactly know any more than that at the moment," McQualter said.

"He was OK downstairs. I saw him just then, and he was OK. But it looked pretty scary for people. 

"It's never nice to see something like that and we're hopeful it's nothing more serious. They're talking about maybe he will [go to hospital]."

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir described his team's big win as "dominant" as the ladder leaders moved close to securing the minor premiership, winning an equal club record 17th game for 2026. 

Second-year star Murphy Reid became the youngest Glendinning-Allan medallist in Derby history, with the 19-year-old dazzling in a game-breaking third quarter and finishing with 26 disposals and a brilliant 50m goal. 

"I thought he got to work at the right times tonight, and clearly when he gets the ball in his hands, something special usually happens," Longmuir said. 

"His work rate was strong, and maybe you can't teach some players the stuff he does with his vision and his ability to weight kicks and do what the game needs. 

"Teams will start looking at different things, I guess, but I don't think we're relying on Murphy to get a certain amount of possessions for us to win.

"He's got a good balance of doing what the team needs and valuing the right things in his own game as well. 

"The thing that gets lost a little bit is everyone just thinks about what he does with the ball. But he's actually very smart player in terms of manipulating the opposition as well. 

"So teams will continue to throw different things at him, but hopefully we've given him some things to be able to work his way through that."