James Hird Slams Hawthorn's 'Arrogance' as Eagles Make Unwanted Harley Reid Move

AFL great James Hird has praised Hawthorn for backing up their ‘arrogance’ with four consecutive wins to start the season as Harley Reid could be forced to make a positional switch for the Eagles. Hawthorn have so far answered the doubters to start the 2025 season having defeated a strong GWS 10.16 (76) to 9.10 (64) on Saturday to keep their unbeaten run alive.

The club have not started 4-0 since 2014 and there was pressure on the playing group heading into the current campaign. After starting 0-4 last year, coach Sam Mitchell managed to rally the group as they finished on a high having made a late charge into the AFL finals.

AFL great James Hird (pictured left) has praised Hawthorn for backing up their 'arrogance' with four consecutive wins, while Harley Reid (pictured right) could be forced to make a positional switch for the Eagles. (Images: Channel 9/Getty Images) — AFL great James Hird (pictured left) has praised Hawthorn for backing up their ‘arrogance’ with four consecutive wins, while Harley Reid (pictured right) could be forced to make a positional switch for the Eagles. (Images: Channel 9/Getty Images)

And Hawthorn have started the season in even better form having carried a swagger about them during their comeback victory, which saw them trail GWS 37-2 after the first-quarter. And Hird believes Mitchell is helping the team remain grounded as they carry a good-level of ‘arrogance’ about them.

“I think the Hawthorn players just know their game style and they are arrogant about it, in a really good way,” Hird said on Channel 9 when discussing the talent of the team. “Confident, arrogant and even if it doesn’t work, like it didn’t in the first-quarter, they knew they were going to come back.

“That is the intangible you get in amazing sides that can go all they way. If they play Brisbane, who I think are probably the second-best team, I think they beat them…I think they are arrogant and confident because they have been through the process, understand the system and it works.”

Finn Maginness and Sam Mitchell embrace. — Sam Mitchell (pictured right) has led Hawthorn to four straight wins.

Hird wasn’t the only one impressed with Hawthorn’s start to the season. Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was full of praise for the club who have improved from their brilliant highs at the end of last year.

“I was concerned about the expectation coming in this year off the back half of last year,” he told Fox Sports. “But they’ve handled that with aplomb. They haven’t worried about the past or what’s coming, they’re just dealing with the moment. Rarely have they been bested. And when they have, they’ve found a way through it.”

Coach Mitchell was also impressed with his team’s ability to win those closer battles in 2025. “Last year we really wanted to be a club that could be more competitive more often and be in winning positions much more often,” Mitchell said after the victory.

“This year we’ve been able to handle momentum. (GWS) kicked the first five (goals) but the players handled that well. They’ve got this belief that if we work hard on something, we’ll see improvement. They’re seeing some rewards.”

Harley Reid facing a switch after West Coast troubles

While Hawthorn are flying, the West Coast Eagles are struggling once again. Fremantle defeated the Eagles by 38-points and the latest defeat could see coach Andrew McQualter make a number of changes.

Oscar Allen is one of the star forwards of the AFL. Although he has struggled with assistance to start the season having only kicked three goals in three matches. Allen has been starved up front and McQualter could be without Jeremy McGovern for a while after his injury on the weekend.

Allen was shifted to defence for several moments after only one possession in the first-half. And after the positional shift to get one of his star players more involved, McQualter didn’t rule out playing Allen deeper against GWS this weekend.

“We spoke to Oscar about that at the very start of pre-season,” McQualter said. “We knew we were slightly thin with key backs, but he’s played a little bit of key back in his career as well. So it’s an option, and we’ll just have to see where it goes with match-ups and who we’re playing.”

And Reid could also be in for a similar unwanted shift due to the attention he is receiving. Reid only recorded seven disposals against Fremantle in the first-half. McQualter moved Reid to half-back and he was instantly more involved. And McQualter didn’t rule out a similar move to reduce the attention on their young star.

“He was getting some attention from (Matthew) Johnson, so we just thought at that time the game needed something different,” McQualter added. “I think we did see something that we liked.

“He’s played half back in his career, early on, and as a junior at times as well. So I think if we can add another string to his bow, he can become a pretty dangerous player down there.” Reid has struggled for consistency to start the season.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 30: Harley Reid of the Eagles reacts to Patrick Voss of the Dockers during the round three AFL match between West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium, on March 30, 2025, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) — PERTH, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 30: Harley Reid of the Eagles reacts to Patrick Voss of the Dockers during the round three AFL match between West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium, on March 30, 2025, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

The youngster has been caught up in a number of battles with players across the field and Reid has come under criticism for not focusing on his footy. The absence of Elliot Yeo has also left Reid more exposed. And McQualter moved to defend the 19-year-old in just his second year in the AFL.

“Not many young players play AFL midfield straight away. It’s a hard task,” McQualter said. “Most midfielders are really senior guys that have been playing it for a long time. So I think with all players, Harley included, we want to be able to be flexible and play multiple roles. I think it’s something we’ll keep exploring.”