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6 months ago
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The sports editor for a top Australian newspaper has opened up on the shocking death threats he has received for his coverage of West Coast No.1 draft pick Harley Reid.
Jake Waddell of The West has revealed some of the 'dozens and dozens' of alarming messages he has received via social media recently while covering the teenage sensation.
'If I ever see you around Perth, I will assault you. I will take pleasure in it, too,' said one message posted on X.
'You need to kill yourself,' said another
'Quit, or I'll burn your office down,' said a third.
The sports editor of The West, Jake Waddell, has received death threats over the publication's coverage of rising Eagles star Harley Reid (pictured)
The 19-year-old West Coast star is the most-hyped No.1 draft pick in AFL history - and so far, he's lived up to his billing
Reid, 19, is the most hyped No.1 draft pick in AFL history, and he's well and truly living up to his billing.
Reid's growing popularity is on track to rival that of Nic Naitanui and Ben Cousins in their hey day - but some West Australian footy fans believe he is in danger of being overhyped by the media.
Waddell isn't backing away from his publication's 'crazy' coverage of Reid, but is a little concerned about the threats to assault or murder him because of a simple cover of the newspaper's sports section.
Reid went head to head with Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, with the Magpies thrashing West Coast by 66 points.
Daicos continued his red-hot form with 36 disposals, 17 contested possessions, seven clearances, seven tackles and a goal as Collingwood improved to 5-1-3 ahead of a clash with Adelaide.
Reid (17) took a spectacular early mark with a ride on Billy Frampton and teammate Jack Darling, but it was among precious few memorable moments for the visitors.
Coach Adam Simpson conceded his players were overwhelmed by Collingwood's pressure and centre-bounce dominance early, but was pleased with their fight after halftime.
Some footy fans are concerned that the young gun is being overhyped by the media
'We're disappointed but we don't think we took a step back in the sense that everything that we've done in the last five weeks is worth nothing,' Simpson said.
'It's just, we played a really good side and we got touched up in the first half.
'They committed as much as they could (in the second half) and we saw a little bit of growth, but I think Collingwood probably knew the game was won and took their foot off the pedal a little bit.'
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