'Everyone hated me': Oscar Allen on fallout from Mitchell meeting

Eagles skipper opens up on the toll that the public scrutiny took on him after his dinner with Hawks coach

Oscar Allen leads West Coast out against Carlton in round five, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

WEST Coast co-captain Oscar Allen says he took time away from the club because he felt "everyone hated me" after news of his meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell became public.

Allen spoke of the toll that the controversy had taken on his mental health at the time, but said support from the club, his family and his partner had helped him get into a frame of mind to return to the field, coincidentally against Hawthorn last weekend.

"It definitely was really tough, particularly when I love West Coast, I love the club, I love playing footy and I wasn't able to do any of that well," Allen told Mix 94.5 radio on Thursday.

"And then because of that, your supposed identity as a footballer and a person kind of get merged because playing footy is something I've loved to do since I was a kid.

"My job was going poorly. Publicly, everyone hated me. And my performance was poor. So there's a combination of things.

"So yeah, it was tough, but I've had a really good support network around me. My partner, family, the footy club have supported me as well with my decision. I'm just excited now to get back in."

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The public focus peaked on April 3 when he fronted a media conference with Eagles head of football John Worsfold, where he said he was "embarrassed and ashamed" and apologised for the scrutiny that his meeting with Mitchell had brought on the club and himself.

Allen said he understood the fans' reaction to news that he had met with Mitchell, who was an assistant coach at West Coast when Allen joined the club as an 18-year-old draftee.

But he said he was frustrated at reports that he and Mitchell had met in public, when in reality they had chatted over dinner at Allen's home.

"No one else was involved whatsoever. It was just two guys having a chat. We talked about a lot of things, but yeah, we were just having a conversation about where I'm at, how I've been going this year and kind of a combination of things," Allen said.

"He was obviously a premiership captain for Hawthorn, so I was trying to talk a little bit about when Hawthorn won in 2008 and then had a couple of tough years, how they helped respond to that. So yeah, we had a good conversation there, then it got played out that I met him in public.

"I clearly understand the frustration of the fans and the, I suppose, annoyance that a lot of people had, but I didn't think it'd be as big of a story."

Oscar Allen after the round seven match between Hawthorn and West Coast at Marvel Stadium, April 27, 2025. Picture: Getty Images

Allen said took a break from football because the combination of his own form, the Eagles' winless start to the season and the controversy around his meeting with Mitchell proved too difficult to handle while still performing his role as Eagles captain.

He deleted his social media apps from his phone and took a week away from the club, before rejoining the group ahead of last week's loss to the Hawks.

"It was a pretty difficult month. Decided with the club to step away a couple weeks ago. I just wasn't handling it all mentally whatsoever," he said.

"I think one thing for anyone who is struggling with stuff, get off social media is probably the first bit of advice. Like, I've deleted all of that. It's just not good to look at. If you see any posts or anything off my social media, that's my beautiful fiancee who's just posting things.

"It's been a good decision to get away from it and not look at things on my phone because if I don't know you well enough to have a coffee with you, then I probably shouldn't really care what you're thinking about me."

Oscar Allen leads West Coast out against Fremantle in round three, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

Allen, who plays his 100th game this Saturday when the Eagles host Melbourne at Optus Stadium, also played down reports of a "crisis meeting" held between senior Eagles players and football department staff including coach Andrew McQualter, head of football John Worsfold and football GM Gavin Bell.

"We had a conversation about how we can get better as players and then how the club can get better as well as supporting players," Allen said.

"So I reckon every single company in the world has had a million of these meetings. I wouldn't exactly call it a crisis meeting, but that's what'll sell newspapers."

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