Oscar Allen: Outgoing West Coast Eagles captain opens up on why he chose Brisbane Lions as club to shift to

Oscar Allen has revealed his reasons for why he chose Brisbane as the club he wants to shift to, as the outgoing West Coast captain gets set to cheer on the Lions as an MCG spectator at Saturday’s grand final.

Allen last month made his desire to exit the Eagles official, with the spearhead keen to join the reigning premiers when he departs in the free agency period.

The 26-year-old sat at West Coast’s table at Monday night’s Brownlow Medal ceremony as part of his last official duties as Eagles skipper, and opened up pre-function about why Brisbane appealed for a fresh start.

“I think the culture of how a lot of people who move there have to move interstate... that’s something that appealed to both of us (Allen and fiance Lorna McNabb), being from Perth and living there our whole lives,” Allen told Seven.

“They’ve also had a proven record of recruits coming over and being able to play some consistent footy in guys that probably haven’t had the best run with injury, like myself, (including) Lincoln McCarthy and Joe Daniher.

“I’m really excited and we’re both excited to go over there to hopefully play some consistent footy.”

Allen endured a torrid final season in the west. News of his meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell in the opening month of the season thrust him into the national spotlight, and the key forward made just 12 appearances - kicking 12 majors - before being shut down due to a knee injury.

The 105-gamer praised West Coast’s playing and coaching staff and the Eagles fan base, saying they had been “an incredible support for me”.

“They’ve all been terrific,” he said.

“We were actually on the flight over with Andrew McQualter, and I went for a coffee with him (on Monday morning).

“Me and ‘Mini’ have a really strong relationship, as I do with all the boys.

“They understand this is kind of how the business of footy works, and they’ve been really supportive over the last period as well.”

The exit of Allen will likely land West Coast Pick 2 in November’s draft, should it yield an expected band-one compensation selection from the AFL.

Allen said he would be at the MCG on Saturday to watch the Lions in the days before his move to the club is set to be made official.

“We’re hoping for a good game, and I think we know who we want to win,” he said.