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What Allen must do next to ease West Coast’s “world of pain”
Andrew Slevison • June 18th, 2025 10:47 am
West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen has been implored to be as present as he’s ever been for the struggling club.
The 26-year-old is set to be sidelined for the medium term with a calf/Achilles injury sustained in Sunday night’s loss to Carlton.
With speculation swirling that Allen could depart the Eagles for Brisbane at season’s end, there have been some suggestions that perhaps he has played his last game in royal blue and gold.
But whatever happens in the coming months, now is the time for Allen to step up, be a true captain and do everything in his power to drag the embattled Eagles into a successful era.
That is the opinion of former Melbourne skipper Garry Lyon who has urged Allen to stand up and impact despite the fact he’s dealing with his own injury woes.
“I was taken by the fact that people started to talk about Oscar as having played his last game at West Coast, the deal with Brisbane and all these things,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“If ever a club needs their captain more than the West Coast Eagles right now, then I haven’t seen it.
“I’m not saying Oscar is not going to do this, this is not a crack at Oscar, I’m just saying how I see the situation for him as a well-paid captain of a football club.
“Do what you need to do to rehab your (injury), get to that club as first there in the morning and last to leave. Work your absolute backside off to try and help the club get better.”
Lyon says there is plenty of work Allen can be doing and support he can be providing for senior coach Andrew McQualter and the youthful Eagles playing group.
“Help Andrew McQualter, a new coach who is doing it tough at the moment. You’ve got a heap of young kids whose heads would be spinning, saying, ‘This is not what my AFL experience was supposed to be like’,” Lyon continued.
“Be more present than you ever have as captain of that football club. Spend as much time in there as you can. That will help him with his rehab, help him stay engaged and help the football club. I think they desperately need it right now.
“Be the captain that you have been elected to be. He had a misstep, I think, earlier in the year when he met with another club (Hawthorn). That’s not a hanging offence, but we’ve all had our opinions on that and I didn’t like it.
“But learn from that, and here’s a chance to learn from it.”
Lyon had a stern message for Allen amid all the uncertainty.
“Don’t disappear now,” he said.
“Right now is not the time to go, ‘Oh, that’s it for me, I’m out’. Now is the time to double down, ramp it up, and say, ‘Boys, I am the captain of this club. I know I’m not out there on the ground at the moment, but I’m going to be here for you’.
“Whatever it is for the next however long, that is what I’d love to see Oscar Allen do. Be a captain and be the best captain you possibly can be.”
Co-host Tim Watson believes the Eagles are in pain right now, highlighting some of the players they’re currently without or who are vastly underperforming.
He worries for first-year coach McQualter, hoping he has the necessary support to help get through this tough time.
“They’re in a world of pain at the moment,” said Watson.
“They have been for a long period of time. It’s hard to see some blue sky and it’s hard to see the green shoots still.
“They’ve been in this trough for a long time. You’ve got Oscar Allen out injured, you’ve got Jeremy McGovern who learns his fate later this week, Elliot Yeo not playing, Dom Sheed might retire, Tim Kelly looks completely and utterly disinterested, Jake Waterman out for the season, they’ve won one game this year and they’ve got a first-year coach in there.
“Andrew McQualter has had experience but not these experiences. This is wearing him down and you need some positivity, you need some nourishment as a coach and a person.
“You’d have to be a unique human being not to feel like he needs some wins somewhere in his coaching.
“It’s a tough role and I hope he’s got plenty of support internally because he’s really going to need it.”
The 1-13 Eagles, who sit at the foot of the ladder, will enjoy their bye weekend in Round 15 before returning to action against Collingwood at Marvel Stadium in Round 16.
Listen to the full discussion on the Eagles below:
