Brisbane forward and Former West Coast Eagles co-captain Oscar Allen says his body is the best it’s felt in five years

Former West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen says his body is the best it’s felt in five years, as he adjusts to life in Brisbane.

The star forward, who joined the Lions as a free agent at the end of last year, managed just 11 and 12 games in his final two seasons at the Eagles, riddled by knee, calf and Achilles issues.

But despite his first pre-season at the reigning premiers interrupted by a concussion, Allen has played all three home and away games for his new club and kicked two goals in an important win over St Kilda on Saturday.

It was his and Brisbane’s first victory after two losses to begin their two-time AFL premiership defence, easing some pressure ahead of Thursday’s clash with Collingwood at the Gabba.

Allen arrived from Perth with a chequered injury history, missing the entire 2022 season with a foot concern, while he did not play the second half of his final season at West Coast after undergoing patella tendon surgery to fix ongoing knee concerns.

He’s kicked four goals in three games this year but, after some tweaks to his gym program, says the telling statistic has been his training attendance rate.

“My body’s responded really well to it... it’s probably the best I’ve felt in my body for five years,” the 27-year-old said.

“I’ve had a lot of interruptions in the past, but one thing the club does really well is individualise players’ programs, and I feel like it’s worked really well for me.

“Having said that, we’re at round three, we’re still at the start of the year. Continuity is important for me, just getting out there every week and doing my bit for the team.”

Going shoulder-to-shoulder with key defender and captain Harris Andrews, who has served two of this three-game ban, has kept Allen honest as he attempts to slide into the Lions’ multi-pronged offensive arsenal.

“He’s fresh and firing and has given me a bath a bit at training, it’s been good fun,” he said.

“I don’t want to try too hard. It’s a funny thing; you’ve got to hit the sweet spot because if you try too hard you over exert and get yourself in bad positions.”

Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury (Achilles) and captain Darcy Moore (calf) are both expected to miss the Easter Thursday blockbuster while Lions midfielder Hugh McCluggage is attempting to overcome a calf injury to play.