Growing up on the Surf Coast in Fairhaven, Ned played his junior football with the Aireys Inlet Eels in the Football Geelong Junior Competition and the Anglesea FNC until he moved to Melbourne at age 15.
He was the tallest boy in the NAB Under 18 League, playing for Oakleigh Chargers, but he wasn't drafted.
His father is the Hawthorn CEO, Justin Reeves, and the club invited him for pre-season training.
[1][2] Reeves' AFL career started by playing with the Hawthorn affiliate Box Hill Hawks in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
In 2021 he was considered one of the most in-form ruckmen in the VFL competition and made his AFL debut against Carlton at the MCG,[3] becoming Hawthorn's tallest ever player.