Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) young gun Harley Reid has revealed the reason behind his animated interaction with Tigers fans at the MCG on Sunday.

The 20-year-old was seen gesturing towards the stands during the dying stages of the Eagles’ heartbreaking two-point defeat to Richmond after the ball went out of bounds on the Eagles’ forward flank.

Reid spread his arms and pointed into a rich vein of black and yellow in the stands, clearly making a point about an interaction.

“I copped a little bit from the Tigers fans and then they gave me the bird,” he said on Channel 9.

“I pointed at the security (guard) to get him off because he wasn’t going to get fined like (players) all have.”

Reid himself was fined $1000 in round two after giving a Brisbane fan who pretended to offer him a packet of tissues over the fence of the Gabba the finger.

The former No.1 pick questioned the AFL’s reasoning for the fine, clearly frustrated with negative fan experiences.

“You’re saying giving the bird is worse than swearing at them, I’m thinking the bird is better,” he said.

“I did it twice (against Brisbane).”

The explanation comes just hours after his coach, Andrew McQualter, passionately defended the rising star on 7NEWS.

“It’s just the amount of abuse that Harley cops all the time. It’s a bit of a joke, really,” he said.

“He’s a 20-year-old kid, and every time he goes near the boundary line, he gets abused by people.

“I’m not sure people should be paying their money to go to the footy just to abuse young kids. I understand it’s a bit of the landscape we are in, but I think you saw it took its toll, and Harley reacted to it.

“We’ll continue to support him. I absolutely do (think the AFL need to crack down on the behaviour from fans). The live abuse from the ground is one thing, but the online abuse is a bit of a disgrace.”

Reid showed signs of his match-turning form returning in the contest with Richmond, including slotting an incredible 55-metre goal on the run, after a lacklustre start to his second year at the Eagles.