West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen has revealed talks with the Eagles have “broken down” over his new deal as an exit looks more and more likely.
Allen was sent for season-ending surgery on his knee in June while also recovering from his calf and achilles tendon injuries, with his contract at the club set to expire in October.
The 26-year-old has been linked to both Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions after being busted in a meeting with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell that prompted a public apology.
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But as the season comes to a close for the Eagles this weekend, Allen conceded he didn’t know where his future lies, with a “lot of water to go under the bridge”.
“Contracts go through until the end of October, and that’s when the free agency period starts, so there’s still six weeks for myself and the club to have communication or to agree with the deal elsewhere,” he said on Perth radio station Mix 94.5.
“Probably another, I suppose, complex way to it is I’m a restricted free agent, so what that means is, whatever contract, if I was to accept the contract elsewhere, West Coast has the right to match that contract as well. So there’s still a lot of water that can go under the bridge because, for instance, everyone’s saying that I accept a contract elsewhere, West Coast can say, ‘Oh, we actually want to match that contract’, and you’ll stay contracted to West Coast going forward.
“So there’s a lot of stuff still to be figured out, and a lot of stuff that’s kind of out of my control as well. This is where managers are really important because they can look after the situation. For me, it’s their job to know everything that’s going on, so there’s plenty of water, as I said, to go under the bridge.
“Clearly, I haven’t signed the contract with the club. Negotiations have kind of broken down to a certain extent. I’m in the same boat as everyone else.
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“People think I’m lying to them when I say I’m not sure what’s going on. We’re genuinely still trying to figure things out, but that’s where it sits now.”
Asked about the situation on Thursday, Eagles coach, Andrew McQualter said Allen was a “required player”.
“I’m not going to speculate, Oscar is a required player at our club and we have been working with him and his manager and will continue to do so,” he said.
The Eagles will finish last on the AFL ladder this season regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s clash with Sydney in Perth.
Allen is one of several players the Lions have in their sights, along with Essendon ruckman Sam Draper.
The Hawks have also been linked to Melbourne star Christian Petracca as well as being keen on trying to prize young gun Harley Reid out of the Eagles.
— NCA NewsWire
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