A fit and firing Oscar Allen is high on every West Coast fan’s wish list in 2023, and the exciting tall forward says he’s setting himself to play every game in 2023 after a standout summer on the training track so far.

Fully recovered from the stress-related foot issue that wiped out his season, Allen is itching to get back to playing again after his burgeoning career stalled at 59 games last year.

“Going really well. Probably trying to pull back – I want to be out there and playing games right now,” Allen said.

“I know we’re still a couple of months away from the start of the year. Trying to get my body in the space where I can not only play at the start of the year, but play throughout the whole year as well.

“The body is feeling good and the mind is good as well at the moment.”

Used in a variety of roles across his four seasons – with his versatility helping him break into a strong line-up early in his career - Allen is ready to establish himself as a permanent key forward following the retirement of mentor Josh Kennedy.

The Eagles’ all-time leading goalkicker groomed Allen across his final seasons in blue and gold, preparing the 23-year-old for a long and hopefully fruitful tenure as an Eagles spearhead.

“I loved playing with him and he was always such a calm, level head and sometimes you look around the room waiting for him to answer a question and he’s not there, so someone else has to step up and answer it,” Allen said of Kennedy.

“But I’ve really enjoyed working under him and I’m sure it will help me in the long run with my footy.”

Kennedy and fellow All-Australian star Jack Darling produced a potent twin tower partnership for more than a decade, combining for 1117 goals in the 12 seasons since Darling debuted in 2011.

Allen kicked 28 goals in 2021 playing in various positions, but when stationed as a marking target inside 50 he showed what he is capable of, most memorably when he bagged five goals against Collingwood in a round five triumph at Optus Stadium.

The 196cm and 96kg big man used his time on the sidelines to add size and strength, while retaining his outstanding running ability, and believes he is prepared to help fill the void left by Kennedy’s retirement by becoming a primary forward target.

“I think I’m ready. You’ve got to have that confidence. It’s something Jack’s done with JK,” Allen said.

“People talk about JK’s record over a long period of time – and as they should – but Jack’s done some incredible things in his own right.

“We’ve pretty much had two No.1 forwards over a long period of time, and I’m looking forward to doing that with Jack in the future as well.

“Jack Darling is still an All-Australian forward and has won a number (four) of leading goalkickers (awards) at the club, so he’s a terrific player and we’ve played really well together for the last four or five years of my career.

“If we can work well together to hopefully kick a lot of goals and help the team win, that’s the best thing for us.”