Murphy Reid has gone from promising to unavoidable, and now two of football’s most recognisable voices are saying the same thing: Fremantle’s 19-year-old is already hard enough to stop that opponents may have to build their plans around him.

Lance “Buddy” Franklin said Reid thinks “one or two seconds before anyone else” after the youngster broke through the 30-disposal mark for the first time in his career against Essendon last weekend. Franklin said Reid is one of the most dangerous players in Fremantle, adding that if opposition teams have any hope of slowing him or the Dockers, they have to target him. “This guy is only 19 years of age, not many players can come in and do this,” Franklin said. “It’s incredible what he’s doing, yes, he is playing in a very good team that will play deep into finals, but he’s still got to do it.”

Reid’s numbers help explain why the attention is building. In his second season, he has lifted his output across every major category except goals per game, and he has spent more time on the ball as Fremantle has pushed him closer to the action. Franklin said Reid is averaging 1.2 goals a game and seven score involvements, and argued that every touch hurts opposition teams. “You’ve got to be right on his bumper, barring him,” Franklin said. “You can’t let him get goal side, and you’ve got to pressure him to make sure that when he does get the ball, he’s under pressure and his kicks aren’t hitting targets.”

The praise did not stop there. Earlier this week, Shane Crawford labelled Reid a freak in comments to The West Australian, saying he can still find a teammate or put the ball to advantage even when he is under enormous pressure. Crawford said Reid has not been seen at his very best yet, even though he is already performing at a high level. That view fits the shape of Reid’s season so far: a terrific first year followed by no sign of second-year blues.

For Fremantle, that is the most useful kind of problem. Franklin said the Dockers are a very good team that will play deep into finals, and Reid is a big reason why. The club has already shown it can keep rising while carrying the weight of expectation, and Reid’s mix of instinct, speed and ball use has made him central to how they move the game. During Sir Doug Nicholls Round, Fremantle also adopted the name Walyalup, a reminder of the club’s broader cultural platform as its on-field ambitions grow.

The next question is less about whether Reid belongs and more about how much higher his ceiling still is. At 19, he is already producing at a level that forces rivals to plan for him, and if this is not his best football yet, Fremantle may be only at the beginning of what he can do.