WEST Coast forward Oscar Allen says the players are wrapping their arms around Liam Ryan after he was subjected to a vile racist attack on social media last week.
Ryan was live streaming on Instagram last Thursday night when a follower posted a racist comment about the AFL goalsneak's daughter.
It's not the first time the 23-year-old has been subjected to online abuse, and the AFL and West Coast have strongly condemned the latest attack.
Ryan was present for the club's first day of pre-season on Monday, and Allen said the playing group have been quick to offer their support.
"Liam's a really good family man and a great person, so it's really sad he has to deal with anything like that," Allen said.
"Any form of racial vilification is taking it too far. I don't think it should matter if it's towards the child or him.
"He's in good spirits. He was disappointed, but he's pretty thick skinned. He's been through a lot in his life.
"Probably educating people is a big thing. I don't want it to happen. We love Liam, we love all of our Indigenous players. They're a great part of our culture here."
Star recruit Tim Kelly got his first taste of life as an Eagles player when he joined the club's first-to-fourth year players at training on Monday.
Kelly will join a star-studded midfield featuring Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff, Elliot Yeo, Dom Sheed, and Jack Redden in season 2020.
The former Cats ace is already a star of the AFL but Allen said it was too hard to quantify how much Kelly's arrival will boost West Coast's premiership hopes.
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"One thing we're big on is playing our roles," Allen said.
"Tim's an excellent user of the ball. All of our midfielders are - Luke Shuey, Jack Redden, Elliot Yeo - they all use the ball well and look after us.
"I'm just excited to have him out there. He just seems like a ripping bloke, so can't wait to get to know him more off field as well."
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Allen played 21 games last season but missed the finals due to fitness and form.
The 20-year-old swingman battled a knee injury towards the tail-end of last season, and was forced to undergo surgery after the Eagles lost their semi-final clash to Geelong.
Allen now stands at 194cm - up from 191cm two years ago - and said he is focusing on adding on more weight.
