There was a bit of everything for Allen in 2021, with the exciting tall making an eye-catching start to the season before injuries – to himself and others – impacted his season.
Allen was outstanding in round one with four goals to help keep a plucky Gold Coast at bay, then nailed five against the Pies a month later, and had 16 goals to his name after the opening six games.
The 22-year-old signed a contract extension until the end of 2025 just days after his birthday in May and was being touted – as many in the west already knew - amongst the elite young key forwards in the game by experts far and wide.
Towards the back half of the season, Allen was required to pinch-hit in the ruck more regularly and was swung down to defence at times, while an elbow injury he suffered in round nine against Adelaide proved to be a hindrance.
However, Allen bravely played on and managed to appear in 21 matches – only missing round 12’s win over Carlton due to concussion protocols – and finished 10th in the best and fairest.
With a better run on the injury front, the future looks extremely bright for the emerging spearhead as he builds on his 59 games.
Standout performance: A big stage performance
The Friday night lights at Optus Stadium and a big Victorian opponent in Collingwood was the perfect stage for Allen to showcase his skills, and a career-best five-goal bag had many sitting up and taking notice of the young star from the west.
Combining in a deadly attack with Jack Darling, who also nailed five majors, Allen hauled in four contested marks and looked every bit the future leader of West Coast’s attack.
His match-opener was curled through on his left foot from the pocket after a chase-down tackle on Chris Mayne, before he showcased his accurate set shot on four occasions to lay down an early-career marker that he is on the path to stardom.
Season averages:
Disposals – 10.1
Effective Kicks – 4.7
Spoils – 2.2
Tackles – 1.9
Contested Marks – 1.8
