Jack Darling Heavily Missed
Oscar Allen, WEST Coast’s coach, says Jack Darling will be welcome back in Adelaide on Saturday when the West Coast Eagles take on the Crows.
Darling kicked only 10.12 in the first nine rounds, before fracturing his arm.
His poor form led to him receiving Bronx cheers by Eagles fans. However, his inclusion along with captain Luke Shuey represents a huge boost for the injury-hit West Coast.
Allen is equal third in the Coleman leaderboard, with 32 goals scored across 12 games. This is a remarkable performance given the struggles of last-placed Eagles.
The 24-year old can’t get enough of Darling.
“Jack is an All-Australian Forward.” Allen told reporters that he probably took some flak while he played before he became injured.
“But his experience is another great target. He’s a very reliable player. You love playing with someone who you know you can count on week in and week out.
“I was really looking forward to going out with him.”
Allen and Darling are joined by debutant Ryan Maric (18), who was the No. 1 pick in last week’s mid-season rookie draft.
Allen, a 196cm tall forward, has been working hard to improve his fitness in order to get a crack at AFL. He is excited to see what he will produce.
Allen stated that “he has a beautiful kick. He’s also got great skills, and he is a large man.”
“He said, ‘I’m undersized.’ I looked at him eye-to-eye and thought,’maybe I am.’
He’s an 18-year-old big, strong boy. He has a great deal of potential to be a good AFL footballer in the future.
