West Coast star Harley Reid will miss the first two games of next season after the Eagles’ failed in their bid to have his suspension for a sling tackle on Hawthorn’s Jai Newcombe downgraded at the tribunal on Wednesday.

Reid was handed the two-match ban for rough conduct after the incident in the fourth quarter of West Coast’s defeat to the finals bound Hawks at Optus Stadium on Sunday was deemed careless, high impact and high contact.

Newcombe got up and took his free kick, slotting the long-range goal before being assessed by medical staff. After a brief stint on the bench, the midfielder continued out the game.

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It was revealed in the hearing that Newcombe passed several HIAs and didn’t have any delayed concussion symptoms, with the midfielder set to be fit to play against Fremantle in the qualifying final at Optus Stadium next Thursday.

West Coast argued that the impact should be downgraded from high to medium, citing that Newcombe had two free hands to protect himself from any impact of the tackle, but chose to hold onto the football instead.

Harley Reid has failed to downgrade his two-match ban for rough conduct on Jai Newcombe. Credit: Channel 7

Eagles lawyer David Grace QC also pointed to a similar incident from earlier this year, when Collingwood’s Billy Frampton escaped suspension for a tackle on North Melbourne’s Matt Whitlock. It was initially graded as medium but was eventually downgraded to low and Frampton was free to play.

Grace also referred to the fact Newcombe played out the game after being on the bench as part of his submission.

However, AFL lawyer Amara Hughes argued that the impact was high because Newcombe’s head hit the ground and he was visibly impacted by the dangerous tackle despite not being concussed.

Hughes also argued that Reid made no attempt to protect Newcombe throughout the tackle and counterargued later that the Hawk’s arms provided only limited resistance to stop his head hitting the ground.

Harley Reid has failed to downgrade his two-match ban for rough conduct on Jai Newcombe. Credit: Getty

After about 40 minutes of deliberating, the tribunal upheld the grading for high, which means that the suspension was upheld and Reid would not be available until at least round three next year.

Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson said they were surprised that Newcombe didn’t sustain a concussion from the incident.

It is the second suspension for Reid in his 62-game career, having previously been banned for a dangerous tackle in 2024, which cost him the chance to win the AFL’s Rising Star Award.

Reid is set to be crowned the Eagles’ club champion next week after a strong third season at the AFL level, when he played all 23 games and averaged 25 disposals, seven clearances and five inside 50s.

It will be the second straight year an important Eagle will miss the start of the season to suspension, with co-captain Liam Baker unavailable for their Round 1 loss to Gold Coast because of a high bump on Sydney’s Chad Warner.

Next year is the first of Reid’s lucrative two-year extension he signed in 2025 to remain at West Coast beyond his initial draft deal.