Fremantle Dockers’ Caleb Serong urges fans to consider person, not just player, amid Oscar Allen fallout
Under-fire West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen has found an unlikely ally in a cross-town rival as the fallout continues from his meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell.
Allen has been widely criticised for a coffee date with Mitchell, who last year poached defender Tom Barrass from the Eagles, as the club slumps to an 0-3 start.
Fremantle vice-captain Caleb Serong conceded that while as a leader and a player you want everyone “dialled in and locked in”, there are layers to any decision.
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“Guys have got to try and make the most of their potential and earning potential but also look for the best scenario and situation for them to play their best footy,” Serong told Triple M.
“Off-field, there are a lot of things that go into that aren’t just football-related.”
He pointed to the high-profile trade of Adam Cerra in 2021, when the Victorian requested a move back to his home state, landing at Carlton.
The pair remain friends and Serong attended his wedding in February, stating Cerra was “the happiest” he’d ever been.
“Those are the kinds of decisions that happen that fans and people outside of the inner sanctum don’t understand sometimes because it’s their private life and it’s personal,” he said.
“There are a lot of different elements to the decision.”
Serong admitted that while “being a captain adds a different element”, he didn’t take issue with players exploring their options.
“I’ve got nothing against it,” he said. “But there would potentially be some awkward conversations, but that’s just the nature of the industry and the way that we’re going.”
Serong revealed he never spoke to any rival clubs about a potential move before re-committing to Fremantle.
Despite already being locked in until the end of 2023, the Victorian product signed a four-year extension the year prior to his contract expiring. He will remain in purple until at least the end of 2027.
“There was still over a year, at least, before I was out of contract and I would always say to my manager... ‘I don’t want to hear anything,” he said.
“We never had one conversation about any team. Not one conversation.
“When you’re a fair way out, I think my manager knew there was no interest from me, so no conversations eventuated... it was a bit of a waste of time (to speak about other clubs).”
