Reid was part of the GWS side that took on Richmond in front of 100,000 people in the 2019 AFL grand final, and now he and the Murray Bombers will be looking to clinch their first senior GVL premiership in two decades.
Playing on the MCG in an AFL grand final is a dream for footballers everywhere, and looking back, Reid said it was an incredible experience.
“To play in front of 100,000 people was pretty exciting, it was a really good experience,” Reid said.
“It was surreal. You couldn’t hear much the whole game, and at the start especially.”
There was a special family connection for Reid that week with the birth of his son, Elijah, and there will a special one again this weekend as he takes to the field alongside his brother, Ben.
“It was a crazy time in 2019. I had the birth of my little fella at the start of that week, it was a really exciting week all round,” he said.
“I had a goal at the start of the year to come back and play with Ben and to play in a flag and a grand final together.
“We haven’t played too many games together this year, so I’m just really excited to get out there with him and hopefully win a grand final with my brother, which was the whole reason I came back here.
“It would be unbelievable. I’m really looking forward to it, I can’t wait to get out there.”
Heading into the big game and with six Echuca teams in action on grand final day, Reid said there is a great vibe around the club.
“The buzz around the joint is pretty exciting. The boys are trying not to overthink it, but I think everyone is just excited.”
With AFL grand final experience under his belt, Reid said the Murray Bombers were bringing in a similar mentality to that of the Giants back in 2019.
“No-one is overthinking it, we are just taking it in our stride. Yes, we are in a grand final and it is really exciting, you just have to embrace it,” he said.
“It is similar to what we did at the Giants in 2019, albeit we didn’t win that game. You just have to embrace the occasion and know that we have put ourselves in this position by how well we played this year. Our best is very, very had to beat.
"You are in a grand final. You work hard when you come back in the preseason to hopefully play on the last day, and that is where we have put ourselves in a position now.
Reid said it would be fantastic to have the whole town get behind not just the seniors, but the whole Echuca Football Netball Club over the weekend.
“Hopefully we can get all the supporters around us. Given that we have all four football teams in the grand finals and a couple of netball teams as well, it would be great for people to come down and support us.”
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