The inclusion of key forwards Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin to the Swans forward structures over the past two years has allowed Reid to be deployed in other positions to complement his main role in the club’s attacking set-up.
In addition to playing forward this season, which included impressive performances in round 13 against Gold Coast (three goals) and Carlton in round 17 (four goals), Reid also plied his trade in the ruck, as well as deep in defence.
While acknowledging this season was focused on his development, Reid told SwansTV he’d like to have greater on-field output in 2015.
It wasn’t the way the club wanted to end the season. How do you feel now some time has passed after the Grand Final?
I’ve steered clear of the media a bit and haven’t really watched too much TV or social media. I’ve just tried to get away from it a bit, but we (had) a review which wasn’t great, but it’s something we’ll learn from because (our performance) wasn’t good enough. We were really disappointed with it.
Does it feels strange to look back at the season and see the positives, including the club’s 17 wins, the minor premiership, and a lot of really good footy throughout the year?
At the moment it probably is hard to look at the positives, so maybe in a few more weeks we’ll be able to have a look at what we were actually able to achieve after such a poor start, which we had. We really turned it around and ended up having a really good season. We weren’t able to finish it off, but it was a strong year. The good thing to come out of it was some of our young guys had a good year. Harry Cunningham had a good year, and Jakey Lloyd had a good year, so there were some positives to come out of it.
How about your own season? Things really changed up for you and you played a range of different roles.
I was a little bit disappointed on a personal level, and I didn’t have quite the output that I would have liked to have. It was pretty much a learning year because I had a few new roles and went into the ruck for a good part of the year, as well as forward with the new big boys. I felt like I was learning and improving, and I look forward to keeping on improving in years to come.
Do you see a particular role that you could see yourself playing next year?
It’s hard to say because things change and personnel changes, so I couldn’t say what my role would be. I’m just happy to do whatever the team needs me to do.
Are there any areas you hope to improve heading into next season?
Probably just some of my patterns running forward in games, so just a bit of burst work so I can be more explosive when I break forward. I think the defensive side of my game was quite good all year; it’s just the offensive side I need to work on.
Who do you think will be some of the player knocking down the door to play more senior football next year?
There are probably a few guys. Tommy Mitchell was unlucky not to play much this year and was one of the most consistent performers, so he’s one who sticks out, but that’s what happens when you’re in a top side that’s winning lots of games. It’s a hard side to break into and it’s a tough thing to happen.
Finally, the off-season has arrived. What are your plans?
I’m heading overseas with Craig Bird and my brother and a few of our mates for three-and-a-bit weeks, so that’ll be nice to get away and relax a bit, and then we’ll come back in November and will hang around Sydney and enjoy the weather and get ready for another big pre-season.
