West Coast utility Oscar Allen has given an insight into his AFL grand final near miss, saying he only found out at the team breakfast on the day of the match that he wasn’t going to play.
The Eagles’ five-point win over Collingwood in last year’s decider will go down as one of the greatest AFL grand finals – and Allen came within a whisker of playing.
With Jeremy McGovern struggling to recover from a rib injury that saw him spend a night in hospital with internal bleeding, Allen was put on standby to take the All-Australian’s place in defence.
McGovern’s plight was looking so dim that West Coast’s coaching staff whisked Allen away after the grand final parade to start prepping him for the match.
“I wasn’t really sure how sore Gov was. He is a pretty tough character and he keeps his cards close to his chest,” Allen said.
“In the middle of the week I thought there was a possibility of (me playing).
“After the parade, the backline coach Daniel Pratt brought me in and was showing me some of Mason Cox’s clips.
“That was the moment when I thought, ‘Oh this is pretty nerve-wracking, this is pretty touch and go here’.
“I prepared as if I was going to play.
“Then the breakfast of the day came and I had a look at (McGovern) and I said, ‘Please tell me what’s happening, I’d like to have a bit of a heads up’, and he said he was fine to go.
“Thankfully Gov got up and the rest is history. He played very well.”
McGovern played a key role in the grand final triumph, tallying nine marks from 14 disposals – including a crucial intercept mark in the dying minutes that led to Dom Sheed’s match-winning goal.
Although Allen missed out on premiership glory last year, the 20-year-old is well placed to be in the thick of the action this season, especially if Nic Naitanui is unable to return from an ankle injury.
Allen has performed solidly as Tom Hickey’s back up in the ruck, but admits the role can take a toll on his 192cm, 87kg frame.
“A hitout is very similar to a marking contest, except it happens every 20 or 40 seconds if there’s a couple of stoppages,” said Allen, who has also shown numerous glimpses of his quality up forward.
“But it’s enjoyable and I’m loving the opportunity.”
West Coast sit in second spot on the table, and they’ll be aiming to continue their hot form when they take on Adelaide at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
