UNDER-FIRE West Coast skipper Oscar Allen has found an ally in Hawthorn counterpart James Sicily as calls emerge for the AFL to adopt an NRL-type model for player movement.
Restricted free agent Allen has come under heavy fire this week after it was revealed he had met with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell.
Allen is being heavily chased by Hawthorn and Brisbane, with Collingwood and Essendon also in the hunt.
It's believed West Coast's offer isn't close to matching the length and value of those of the chasing teams.
Allen has been backed by West Coast's hierarchy and the player group to continue as Eagles captain, but the 26-year-old said he felt embarrassed and ashamed when addressing his teammates on Thursday morning in the wake of his meeting with Mitchell.
Hawthorn captain Sicily described the situation surrounding Allen as a "storm in a tea cup", saying it would be foolish for a player - even if they are a captain - not to explore what they are worth on the open market.
"A restricted free agent, to my knowledge, (means) see what other people will offer. If the offer is there, they can choose to accept it," Sicily said.
"I'm talking more broadly (than) Oscar's situation. That is bad business for an individual to not be seeing what's out there, regardless of who you are."
Sicily said the fact Allen was Eagles captain made no difference to the debate.
"Maybe that's the new age and opinion and view on things," he said.
First-year West Coast coach Andrew McQualter threw his support behind Allen when addressing the media on Friday morning.
"I do just want to say, without speaking for Oscar, I don't think he should feel ashamed of what's happened," McQualter said.
"I don't think that’s the right word. (I'm) understanding the situation isn't ideal for everyone but it's certainly not shame he should be feeling.
"So I just want to support him in that space. It's the landscape of the industry."
The NRL model allows players to negotiate a deal with a rival club within a year of their current contract expiring.
That situation means it is now commonplace for a player to announce their deal with a rival club while still playing out the season with their current club.
