'Grow with him': Four-time AFL champion's huge call on who Tassie Devils should target
Updated . First published at
Four-time premiership star Isaac Smith believes the Tassie Devils would be better off chasing Harley Reid than Nick Daicos.
The expansion side will enter the competition in 2028, armed with a suite of draft picks and a $5m sign-on bonus on top of the salary cap to tempt the biggest names.
Daicos has been linked strongly with the Devils across the last year, while Reid comes out of contract at the end of 2028 and will have a huge long-term decision to make, be it at West Coast, Tasmania or in Victoria.
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The pair faced off on Saturday afternoon, with the Collingwood champion leading his side home with 34 disposals and three goals, while the younger Reid was strong early on the biggest stage of his career in front of 90,000 fans, finishing with 20 disposals.
Reid, the No.1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has shown signs that he could grow into a star midfielder as he develops alongside this young West Coast team.
Harley Reid of the Eagles and Nick Daicos of the Magpies share a laugh. AFL Photos via Getty Images
When asked by Adelaide champion Rory Sloane who he would take if he was running Tasmania, Matthew Lloyd felt it was a straightforward call.
"Daicos because of the maturity and the leadership side of it. I think Harley still has a way to go in that regard - Nick is the full package," he told Nine's Sunday Footy Show.
The Devils are reportedly less likely to target someone like Daicos, simply because he is contracted beyond 2028.
This means they can't simply sign him as a free agent and would need to give up draft picks to acquire the Collingwood superstar. They have been given the capacity to sign one out of contract player from all 18 clubs as a free agent across 2027 and 2028.
Smith, who played in three flag-winning sides for Hawthorn and one for Geelong, believes Reid would fit Tassie's timeline better given he is younger than Daicos and able to grow alongside the team's draftees.
Isaac Smith on the Sunday Footy Show. Nine
"I'd take Reid. I just like that the club could grow with him," Smith said.
"Daicos to me, he's a Collingwood player, he's solidified his career, we know what he is there. It would be like getting Gary Ablett, which Gold Coast did.
"If I was Tassie I would take Reid and try and grow with him."
The Devils will be looking to have a senior coach and a head of football in place to begin shaping their list at some point in 2026.
They have already reached out to a number of players and their managers to begin gauging interest and mapping out plans.
Unlike Gold Coast and GWS who built young lists that took beatings for multiple seasons until the group matured, Tassie wants to hit the ground running.
Their stated aim is to be competitive from day one with the list they build, something that legendary coach Leigh Matthews isn't sold on.
Tassie Devils players celebrate the win during the Coates Talent League via Getty Images
"One of the things that hit me was the first aim was to be competitive from the start. Well, don't you have to earn your stripes?" Matthews asked on 3AW on Saturday.
"The rubber is about to hit the road when teams are competing with the Tasmanian team with the $5 million sign-on fee and in the draft and all those kinds of situations.
"But to be competitive from the start, that to me is a big statement and I'm not even sure it's realistic anyway.
"Even if it's the objective, you've got to earn your right, I think, and the Suns and Giants both had to earn the right after a few years of not being very good."
