Oscar Allen was shocked by the lack of support from West Coast during the past 12 months, which ultimately led to his move to Brisbane.
Allen exercised his free agency rights despite holding the co-captaincy title, revealing that the reigning premiers offered much more from a holistic perspective than the Eagles.
"Without being blunt, like you're in a position where the business footy Club's [Brisbane] going a bit better, successfully on field, off field," he said on Mix94.5's Pete & Kymba with Ben Cousins.
"They've got a great culture. You're getting a longer contract. You're probably getting paid a little bit more money. Every single aspect is probably, I suppose, a little bit of a benefit. Why would you not take that up?
"And for me, it was just such a great opportunity. And clearly, they're successful on field, but then off field as well, like, the culture that they've created, the way that everyone's reached out and supported me, like, it made me feel like, you know what, why don't we take this plunge?"
The 26-year-old knew the writing was on the wall early in the year, and revealed that the change at West Coast resulted in a lack of support.
He had been dealing with persistent injuries, which limited his output to 23 games in two seasons, and believed his health played a part in the decision.
"You never really get a D-day, and you get like, 'oh, it's not going to happen'," he said.
"It's just a reality over time. You go, well, you sit back and you think, well, this hasn't happened yet. Why hasn't it happened yet? Well, maybe because of a, b and c, and I think one thing was probably my body as well, maybe West Coast were like, look, the age Oscar is, maybe we've got priorities elsewhere.
"I'm not putting words into their mouth. That's just how I perceive it. I think at a certain point you're like, 'Yeah, well, this isn't going to happen here'.
"I understand now it's a business, and probably the last 12 months has been pretty eye-opening with that aspect.
"And clearly there's been a lot of change at the footy club, so people that potentially always had my back in the past probably aren't there in those roles anymore. So that was a big change for me.
"Clearly, when everything came out publicly with me this year, the level of support I received from different people was probably different than what I expected it to be."
In new colours, Allen is excited for what's next at the Lions, who are fresh off a second consecutive premiership.
Seen as a Joe Daniher replacement, the key forward is looking to play a heavy hand in guiding young talent like Logan Morris and Ty Gallop through the early stages of their careers.
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"When you look at the talent that they have there and also the calibre of the young players who are probably still growing into the game, to see what they've been able to achieve the last couple of years from afar has been outstanding," he said to Brisbane Lions media.
"I'm hoping to add to that in any way I can. A little bit of leadership potentially in the front half as well, and then off-field, just to be a part of the culture."
