Former West Coast Eagle Oscar Allen says he feels 18 again after move to reigning premier Brisbane

Former West Coast forward Oscar Allen says he feels like an 18-year-old again, having joined reigning premiers Brisbane after a disastrous 2025 campaign.

Allen, who was a co-captain at the Eagles before a free agency move to the Lions during the off-season, made headlines for a controversial early-season meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell in the midst of West Coast’s worst season on record.

He then made a public apology to the fans and his teammates, expressing “embarrassment and shame” for the distraction.

A left knee injury, which required surgery, then ended the 27-year-old’s season and came off the back of a plague of calf and Achilles troubles.

However, a chipper Allen told Channel 7’s Sunday Footy Feast the move to tropical Queensland had reinvigorated the luckless goal-kicker.

“It’s been great,” he said.

“It was challenging at times (last year). Probably the other frustration was my body not being able to go out there and perform to the level or the expectations that I set for myself, so that was hard for me.

“But, it’s funny, I feel like I’m an 18-year-old now getting drafted for the first time, moving away from home like 95 per cent of draftees do, so it’s been great moving here to Brissy.

“Me and my wife recently got married in the off-season as well so we ticked a few big boxes off and we’re loving Brisbane and settling in really well.”

Allen also joked about the Mitchell incident, suggesting he may have deleted the Hawks coach’s contact details.

“It’s a bit like when you get the new girlfriend, you’ve got to delete the old one off all social media. So, in the process of doing that with Mitch now,” he laughed.

“I’ll be ducking him. I saw him before the Brownlow, he and his wife drove past me, and I literally dived behind cover because I didn’t want to get into any more trouble.”

Allen had a tough start to the season, struggling to find his feet in Brisbane’s forward line.

He kicked just one major on maroon and blue debut and just one more in round one against Sydney as the reigning premiers started the year with back-to-back defeats.

Since then, he has booted eight goals in three games to enter the Coleman Medal top 10 and kicked three against North Melbourne in Gather Round.