Etihad Airways Etihad Guest - Exit row seating?

I'm flying Etihad from JFK-AUH-DAC in a week. I don't have status with Etihad since I usually fly with Star Alliance. I am quite tall and would really like an exit row if possible on my upcoming flights. I have a few questions about obtaining an exit row:

First, do you need status in order to reserve an exit row (if so, are there buy-ups like many US carriers due to "premium seating")?

Secondly, I noticed that exit seating is blocked on ExpertFlyer. I also read that you can only get exit seating at check-in. Will these seats become available at online check-in, or do I have to ask at the airport? Or would it be possible to call 24 hours before the flight and reserve exit seating?

Thanks!

When I flew the first time, my itinerary was BRU-AUH-SYD. BRU-AUH was a normal seat but on AUH-SYD I got exit row, probbly because when I checked in in Brussels, I was the first to get a boarding pass for the second leg which was more than 24 hours later.
Last year I did BRU-AUH-MEL. BRU-AUH was a normal seat again and it seemed that AUH-MEL would be a bad seat as well. I went to the transit desk in terminal 1 where I asked a new seat and they gave my a bulkhead.
Lesson of the story: If they do not give you the good seats at JFK you can still change the second leg in AUH (assuming that there is place available)

Opposite for me! When I flew LHR-AUH-SYD I got an exit row seat on the LHR-AUH leg and then on the SYD-AUH leg coming back. I got told both times that I'd have to go to a desk in AUH to see if I can get an exit row seat for the second leg but both times it was surrounded by a mob of people (with very distressed looking attendants!) and I was told I wasn't allowed one when I got to the front (presumably that's what several other people in front of me were trying to get!).

The leg room on normal Etihad economy seats seemed pretty generous to me though (I'm also around 6'5"). Maybe I was just lucky, or am remembering it wrong, but it felt more spacious than flights I've had with British Airways, Qantas and Royal Brunei, and not very crampt at all (in fact, I was content to just stay sitting in the seat for the entire flight).

That's not really true Samuel. As staff in Brussels can rarely give out emergency seats on connecting flights. You must been lucky. There's no way if you have no status you can request those emergencies in advance. Well, you can try contacting the airport office, but chances are they'll go to Gold members, as every flights does have at least a handfull of Gold member onboard.