Oscar Allen: West Coast Eagles confident they can lock away captain and key forward amid contract talks

West Coast football boss Gavin Bell says the club is confident it can stave off rival interest and lock away captain Oscar Allen. Allen has strong interest from across the league, including from reigning premiers Brisbane and one Victorian club The West Australian revealed last year had offered him their captaincy. Asked about his contract situation last week, Allen said he was “not sure what the future lies”. But Bell was more positive about the negotiations when asked on Tuesday. “I’m not surprised that there has been interest from other clubs because he is a wonderful talent and he is a very good person as well and he is learning his role as the skipper of our football club and he is doing a great job with Duggo (Liam Duggan),” he told SEN. “Oscar is very passionate about our footy club, he loves the place, we are very focused on keeping Oscar with us. We will work through those details as we go, but we just want him to be in a great frame of mind and be ready to go and attack the start of this season.” Allen is believed to be in discussions with the Eagles but his manager is also fielding calls from others clubs around a long-term deal for the West Perth product. The forward is a restricted free agent, meaning the West Coast can match any offer during free agent period later this year in October. Brisbane’s interest comes as they look to replace premiership forward Joe Daniher in the wake of his shock post-grand final retirement. “I grew up in Western Australia and I’m really fortunate to be alongside Duggo (Liam Duggan) as the co-captain of the footy club,” Allen told AFL.com.au. “I clearly love the football club and I’m sure things will get worked out. “It’s probably something you don’t really think about when you’re playing. You’re kind of just head in the sand trying to get better and improve everyday. “I’m not sure what the future lies, but I have really enjoyed and still enjoy my time at the footy club.” On Monday, the Eagles confirmed The West’s report that Jeremy McGovern has signed a one-year contract extension, tying him to the club until the end of 2026. Bell also responded to a report in The Age on Tuesday that the league had quietly put in place new checks around long-term deals. The AFL now requires any contract longer than six years to be ticked off by the club’s board and executive. “Our position is that we understand where the competition and the AFL are coming from in that regard, we have an internal process that we work through that involves not only football department members, but other exec and directors we need to work through and it’s really to make sure that we have a really strong process in place and really strong governance on the financial decisions that we make,” Bell said. The Eagles received special approval for Werribee grand final hero Jack Henderson to train with them this week as they mull over putting injured veteran Dom Sheed on their inactive list. Bell hinted all three of West Coast’s train-on players — Henderson, James Van Es and Sandy Brock — could feature in Monday’s match simulation against Richmond at Mineral Resources Park.