Flying winger Liam Reid has been a revelation for the Werribee Bears in Victorian Rugby League.
The New Zealander was virtually unknown when he arrived at the Bears last season but has quickly made a name for himself.
The 26-year-old came to Australia seeking work but was also eager to get back into the game.
It was at his first job in Melbourne that he came across someone from his home town of South Auckland, who pointed him in the direction of the Bears.
Reid decided to commute from Caroline Springs to give the club a go and was instantly welcomed into the Bears family.
“I want to thank the club for showing their faith in me,” he told Star Weekly.
“They didn’t know me at all when I first came here, but they gave me a shot and I’ve been here ever since.”
Reid wasted no time repaying the Bears for their faith.
He featured in 12 of the team’s games in his first season and was an integral part of the Bears’ first trip to the first-grade finals, scoring a try in a semi-final defeat to North West Wolves.
Reid has produced some of his most dazzling rugby this season and is a major reason the Bears are a premiership chance.
At one stage he was on top of the competition’s try-scoring list, but a quiet patch in recent games has seen him settle into the top-five with 11 tries.
Reid has great speed and dancing feet and is a natural finisher.
But it’s the rapport he has built with his teammates in the past 18 months that is his strongest asset.
“I have a really good combination with our halves,” he said. “We have little signals that we do when we’re going to put a kick in or throw a long ball.
“We always talk about it at training.”
Reid believes Werribee is as good a chance as any team in the competition to win the premiership.
The Bears also have a massive motivating force behind them.
Reid says he and his teammates were “gutted” after going down to the Wolves in last year’s semi-finals.
“Everyone’s stuck together … we worked hard in pre-season and it’s showing up now,” he said.
“I think we’ve got a good chance of taking it out this year.”
