West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen is set to be sidelined for at least six weeks with a knee issue.
The key forward experienced swelling in his right knee after Sunday’s loss to Port Adelaide and was sent for scans on Tuesday.
The results show that Allen has some “bone stress” which will keep him out of action for some time.
While the Eagles were unable to put a clear timeframe on Allen’s absence, reports indicate he could be out for as little as six and as many as eight weeks.
SEN WA’s Tim Gossage says Allen will miss eight games with the injury.
Huge blow for @WestCoastEagles co captain Oscar Allen. Set to miss eight games with a knee injury. Jack Darling needs to find his best real quick. Ryan Maric certain to get a chance this week against the @GWSGIANTS
— Tim Gossage 🤓 (@TimGossage) March 19, 2024
More tomorrow morning @SENWABreakfast from 6am.
While Channel 7’s Ryan Daniels is also reporting an absence of a similar timeframe.
My understanding is the likely timeframe for Allen’s return is 6-8 weeks, but will be reassessed regularly. @WestCoastEagles confirmed the injury, without a timeframe, tonight saying “Co-captain Oscar Allen will miss some football after experiencing soreness in his right knee.” https://t.co/rwyamnAHyj
— Ryan Daniels (@FootyRhino) March 19, 2024
The Eagles had been feeling positive about their depth as their injury list dwindled, but this is a fresh blow which threatens to dismantle their forward line.
SEN’s Garry Lyon suggests this could be disastrous for the Eagles after Allen booted 53 goals for last year’s wooden spooners.
“That’s a disaster for them,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“For obvious reasons, but leadership being the least of them. Playing full-forward is hard to lead from anyway, but he’s a beacon and a shining light.”
Sam Edmund added: “They are yet to provide an official timeline, but a lot of the reports on the ground (in Perth) from people who would know are putting it in that six to eight week window.”
The Eagles currently have the following players on their injury list:
Oscar Allen (Knee) - TBC
Rhett Bazzo (Groin) - TBC
Jai Culley (Knee) - 2-3 weeks
Harry Edwards (Finger) - 1 week
Matt Flynn (Knee) - 7-9 weeks
Elijah Hewett (Foot) - TBC
Archer Reid (Knee) - 5-7 weeks
Liam Ryan (Hamstring) - 2-4 weeks
Dom Sheed (Foot) - 3-4 weeks
Veteran wingman Andrew Gaff has already been omitted for this weekend’s clash with GWS.
The 0-1 Eagles host the 2-0 Giants at Optus Stadium on Sunday evening.
