Eddie McGuire’s brutal take on Oscar Allen’s captaincy as telling dressing room claims emerge

Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has called out the West Coast Eagles for not coming down harder on club co-captain Oscar Allen after he reportedly met with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell. The Eagles’ season has been thrown into further turmoil after news emerged Allen has reportedly met with the Hawthorn coach.

Allen is an impending free agent and his future at West Coast appears to be in doubt, amid suggestions he could look to leave the Eagles at the end of the season. The forward failed to kick a goal during his team’s loss against Fremantle on the weekend and the latest reports prompted fans to call for him to step down as captain of the club.

While it is not uncommon for players to meet with rival clubs when their contract is coming up, Melbourne Demons great Garry Lyon said the fact it’s the captain of a team makes it a completely different scenario. West Coast Eagles CEO Don Pyke admitted the club were taken aback by Allen’s meeting, but suggested it wasn’t unusual for players coming off contract these days to meet with rivals.

And Pyke’s measured response didn’t sit well with McGuire. The former Collingwood president was asked how he would have taken the news if one of his former captains met with a rival coach during the season. And McGuire felt the Eagles have been too lenient on their leader.

“It’s a really hard one. Because we all know, these things happen. But, I really feel hard about this. I said last week, if Oscar Allen is not fair dinkum, don’t be captain,” McGuire said on Footy Classified.

“I said West Coast have to stand for something. If Hawthorn are going to fly in, laugh at them, have breakfast with their captain, tickle him up and take his mind of the job…somebody has got to do something. Sometimes that can be the president.”

When pushed, McGuire doubled down. “I would have said, mate, you are not captain anymore,” McGuire added. “He should resign, or sign a new contract and get it done.”

West Coast CEO moves to quell Oscar Allen drama

McGuire’s pointed comments come after Pyke attempted to quell the drama and suggested it wasn’t unusual for players to meet with rival coaches in today’s game. And he admitted the club is doing everything they can to sign the star forward on a new contract.

“It’s obviously news to us that that may have occurred,” Pyke told SEN Radio. “But I think we’re working in a world now that’s changed from times gone past.

“I don’t think it’s unusual for clubs to meet with players and if that is the case, then clearly we’ll keep talking with Oscar about his position at the club. We’d love to obviously keep him here and we’re working towards that with him and his management. That came to bear overnight, I guess, and we’ll work through that as we do with everything.”

Oscar Allen’s captaincy called into doubt

AFL great Nick Riewoldt also suggested it would be hard for the captain to face the dressing room after the news. “This would be a much bigger story here in Victoria, if it was a Victorian captain meeting with an opposition coach,” Riewoldt claimed on Triple M Radio’s Mick In The Morning. “I would have a really hard time as a captain walking back in and selling the message of ‘This is the path we’re on; this is the journey we’re on, follow me, jump on my back.'”

Lyon had a similar sentiment having claimed the dressing room could be torn after the latest development. “Now, if that puts me into the old-fashioned, old man category, then fair enough. I just think it’s hard now for those players to look at him, (who will ask) ‘are you with us or not?’” Lyon said on AFL 360. “Players are doing it (meeting with rival clubs) all the time, but not captains … I see it as it’s almost letting down the captaincy brethren — that’s the way I look at it.”