Since the day he arrived at West Coast as a raw-but-promising teenager and was taken under Josh Kennedy’s wing, Oscar Allen has been preparing for the moment he might eventually step into the champion forward's shoes.

Now that time has come, the 23-year-old tall has matured into a key leader of the club, whose understanding of the game went to a whole new level last year while he was nursing a foot injury and helping to coach from the sidelines. 

With that experience behind him, Allen is thinking about team success first and foremost, ahead of his own comeback 575 days since he last played, or the expectation of replacing West Coast's all-time leading goalkicker.

“There’s always responsibility and pressures – I think it just changes,” Allen told reporters on Monday ahead of round one against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.

“When you get to the club you’ve got pressure to play and hopefully make a career out of it, then you once you start playing and you want to play well and then you want the team to win.

“It’s not really hoping I play well, but collectively if we win then that’s all that really matters for me.”

While replacing a generational key forward won’t be easy, fortunately for Allen and the club Kennedy hasn’t been a stranger since his remarkable eight-goal farewell performance against Adelaide in round 21 last season.

“We’ve had a couple of chats here and there,” Allen said.

“He was actually at training last week watching. He gave me a couple of pointers, which is always nice of him to give.

“He’s terrific. He’s always been a great mentor and leader for me throughout my time at the footy club, so he’s probably the reason I’m in the position I am here today because of the path he put me on when I got to the club.”

For so long Kennedy and Jack Darling dominated the skies and the scoreboard for West Coast, and Allen hopes the latter is by his side against the Kangaroos as he races the clock to be available following a quick recovery from an ankle injury.

“He seems to be moving really well at the moment, Jack. He’s got some medical things to tick-off throughout the week and obviously it’s only Monday, so quite a while until then, but really hoping he gets out there,” Allen said.

While adding to his 59 career games and 66 goals has been a long time coming for Allen, the Eagles gun was full of praise for club medical staff and their methodical approach to his recovery from a stress-related injury.

“Completely over it now. The strength and conditioning staff at the footy club, physios, doctors, have done a great job managing me,” he said.

“I’ve got to a stage where I’m on a modified program at stages, with other people. You’ll see days like today there’s a group of us who aren’t doing as much. That doesn’t mean we’re injured or sore, it’s just our loading program.

“There’s been a lot of thought and effort put into it from people who are a lot smarter than me. Just follow their requests and it’s working so far.

"Really grateful for the work they’ve put in.”