West Coast Eagles forward Archer Reid asked teammates if atmosphere was like a grand final after first AFL win

West Coast forward Archer Reid was so delighted with his first victory at AFL level, he asked some of his teammates with premiership experience if the feeling was comparable to coming out on top in a grand final. The 20-year-old came into the Eagles’ clash with North Melbourne on the verge of claiming an unwanted slice of history. Another defeat meant he would have surpassed Gold Coast’s Ben King and Greater Western Sydney’s Lachie Whitfield with the most losses before tasting victory for the first time among any active player. The Kangaroos looked set to worsen Reid’s win-loss record to 0-16 when they burst out of the blocks to kick seven of the game’s first nine goals, but his side produced a stirring comeback and held off the visitors’ late attempt at one of their own to claim a 17-point victory. Reid, who kicked two goals in the contest and was one of nine Eagles to be given a brief Gatorade shower before the song was sung, said his emotions once the siren sounded were difficult to put into words. “I was acting like it was a grand final. I was even asking the boys, Crippa and Bakes, ‘is this what it feels like to win a grand final?’,” Reid said. “When I came to the bench, I reckon there was probably three minutes left. I was jumpy, but once it got to that one-minute mark, I was like, how good. “It’s been a long time coming. It’s good to finally get it.” Even coming close to securing four premiership points has been a rarity for Reid throughout the early stages of his fledgling career — of his first 15 losses at the top level, only four were within margins of three goals. He said finally securing a first AFL win had made a difficult debut campaign in 2025 completely worth it. “Sometimes, it’d be tough to wake up that Monday morning,” Reid said. “I think all the hard work that gets put into it is worth it. Now, if we get more wins, I can just think back to last year and (realise) this is what it’s all about.” Reid said the stirring atmosphere created by the 47,083 fans bathed mostly and blue and gold who came out for West Coast’s first game of the season had given the players a massive on-field lift. “They were great, it was so loud,” he said. “When I kicked (my) first goal, it just got louder, and when Crippa kicked the two in a row, it just went crazy, the ground was shaking.” When asked if he believed the win could act as a springboard into a new era for the Eagles, Reid was guarded. “We’ve got Port Adelaide next week and they played really well against us (in the pre-season), so we’ll just take it for tonight and then move onto next week,” he said.