Murphy Reid: Fremantle Dockers youngster shows he’s built for finals with sparkling first half

Finals pressure? What finals pressure?

Murphy Reid showed he’s more than comfortable under the brightest spotlight after starring in his opening half of September footy.

The Rising Star favourite didn’t miss a beat - or a match - during his debut season, and carried that form into Fremantle’s elimination final clash with Gold Coast at a heaving Optus Stadium.

The youngest player in the Dockers line-up, Reid wasted no time settling in, with a string of big second-quarter moments catching the eye.

With Freo trailing early in the term, Reid shot out a superb handpass to Neil Erasmus after gathering a contested ball to set up his teammate’s long-range goal.

The 19-year-old then had his turn to hit the scoreboard - and he didn’t disappoint.

Reid stood under a high ball as Fremantle powered forward in transition, and absorbed the heavy contact from Bodhi Uwland to accept a free kick.

He got up, kicked truly from 45m on a 45-degree angle and held his arms out wide to the crowd in celebration.

“Absolutely brilliant,” Seven analyst Kane Cornes said.

“Your turn, first final, bigger opponent coming your way. Keep your head up, stand your ground, win a tough contest.

“He can do it all, this kid.”

Reid’s first half consisted of 10 touches, with seven of them contested, in a superb display - but the Dockers fell away late in the half to face a big mountain to climb.

Gold Coast piled on seven goals in the second term to set up a stunning 25-point advantage at the main break, leaving Fremantle needing to produce their biggest home second-half turnaround since 2002 to stay alive in September.