Oscar Allen once thought he would spend his entire AFL career at West Coast.
Eight years after being drafted by the club he grew up supporting, injuries and contract negotiations that Allen said left the two sides “not on the same page” led him to look elsewhere.
Now at Brisbane, Allen says the move has helped him rediscover the enjoyment that had been disappearing from his football.
Dream start
For most of Allen’s life, the West Coast Eagles was more than just a football club.
Growing up an “avid Eagles supporter”, he dreamt of one day playing AFL football, although for most of his childhood he admits it didn’t seem realistic.
“I was quite late to develop, I was quite small and undersized throughout my junior footy,” Allen said.
After experiencing a rapid growth spurt in his draft year, Allen realised his dream was closer than before.
“I had a big growth spurt, which gave me the opportunity and chance to get drafted.”
That luck landed Allen exactly where he had hoped.
In 2017, West Coast selected him with pick 21, allowing him to play for his favourite team and remain at home.
“There’s a one in 18 chance to end up at the team you want to go to, and I was really lucky.”
In his debut season, the Eagles were crowned premiers of the 2018 season.
Allen was named an emergency for their grand final win, and experienced the week and atmosphere alongside the team.
“I was 18 at the time, and thought [finals] was going to happen every year, to be honest,” he said.
For a long time, Allen thought he would remain at West Coast for his entire career.
The connection with the club grew stronger at the conclusion of the 2023 season, with the club naming him co-captain.
“It’s probably the greatest honour I have had in my career or life this far. I hold that really, really highly,” he said.
Leaving the club he thought he’d never leave
What came next, however, wasn’t all smooth sailing.
Towards the end of his eight years with West Coast, injuries began to interrupt his career, and conversations of departing the club began.
“I had a number of injuries towards the back of my time at West Coast. We had some negotiations where we probably weren’t on the same page, and that’s what led me to make the decision to look elsewhere.”
At the end of 2025, Allen made the move to the Brisbane Lions with his wife Lorna, leaving behind all that was familiar.
“I was definitely nervous, a bit like the old first day at school nerves, you don’t really know anyone,” Allen said.
“We both lived in Perth our whole lives, so moving to Queensland was as far as we could go in terms of distance from Perth.”
Despite the nerves, Allen said the pair settled well into both the club and Brisbane lifestyle.
Joining the Lions, who had reached the past three grand finals, Allen expected a significant change from the Eagles, who were in a rebuilding stage.
Instead, what surprised him was how similar the standards were across both clubs.
“The gap between the clubs at the top of the ladder and the bottom probably isn’t as big as everyone thinks it is,” he said.
Despite his fresh start in Brisbane, Allen’s injury frustrations have continued.
“I’d recover from an injury, get over it, and then something else would pop up in another part of my body,” he said.
“I wasn’t sure what I was doing wrong, I was a bit frustrated, thinking why is this happening to me?”
Finding enjoyment again
Despite suffering a foot injury earlier this season, Allen said his move to Brisbane had changed his mindset towards football.
“I’m having a lot of fun out there.”
Allen has also found more balance away from the game.
During his final years at West Coast, football and the responsibility of leadership became his primary focus.
“By doing that, I found that I put too much pressure and expectation on football,” he said.
“And then when I was injured or not playing as well as I would like, I didn’t have other things going in my life.”
Making changes, Allen has returned to university to commence his postgraduate studies in Business Administration.
He and wife Lorna are also expecting their first child later this year.
“That’s something that I’m really excited to kind of enter that new chapter of our lives together,” he said.
“Obviously that will be probably our biggest focus going forward.”
Before then, Allen’s immediate focus is Brisbane’s semi-final against Adelaide this weekend.
He described the must-win clash as a “great opportunity and challenge” as the Lions look to keep their season alive.
“Since coming to Brissy, I think my mindset on footy has definitely changed to positive again, back how it was when you’re younger, when you really love the game and just enjoy playing,” he said.
