West Coast young gun Harley Reid has taken to social media to explain how he hurt his ankle against Brisbane on Saturday night.

The star midfielder appears in a race against time to be fit to play against Fremantle on Friday night after sustaining an ankle injury early in the first term of the 24-point loss to the reigning premiers.

Initial replays appeared to show Reid slipping on a step leading from the Optus Stadium dugout to the playing surface.

The 21-year-old fell to the ground in obvious pain and had medical staff swarming over him.

He spent nearly 20 minutes on the bench before being taken to the rooms for extra treatment, likely some form of painkiller, before returning to the field in the second term.

However, Reid used an Instagram post on Monday to clarify he did not slip on the step which would have been wet after a shower of rain.

“To all you clowns. Clarification, I didn’t hurt my ankle tripping over,” he captioned over a picture of himself in a hoodie.

It means the injury could have occurred when he was bumped late after a kick by defender Noah Answerth, which resulted in a downfield free kick and a fine for the Brisbane defender.

It also indicates a concerning fact: Reid presumably tumbled to the ground in agony on the bench after simply attempting to put weight through his ankle.

While the young gun did play out the match against Brisbane and was the best Eagle afield, there are major doubts over whether West Coast would risk playing him against arch rivals Fremantle with any form of injury.

Reid would be central to any hopes of a West Coast upset who have not won a derby since Reid’s first in 2024.