WEST Coast draftee Sam Allen has complete confidence he can return from his ACL injury next year and build on the elite athletic traits that make him an AFL winger in waiting.

The Eagles jumped at Allen with pick No.29 last Thursday night, with the Oakleigh Chargers captain drawing early interest after showcasing his footballing and physical traits through the initial stages of the season.

An ACL injury at training before he had the chance to represent Vic Metro meant Allen was hidden away for the rest of 2025 and the teenager will likely be unavailable until at least May, but Allen has no doubts about his ability to show what he is capable of when his recovery is complete.

"To put it simply, I'm 100 per cent confident that I'll be able to not just get back to what I was, but also reach new heights," Allen said on Wednesday.

"I've got full faith in the guys that will be looking after me, and I've got full faith in myself that I'll put in the hard work and do whatever I can to return to that level."

Allen was one of the most gifted athletes available in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft, running his 2km time trial in under six minutes and ranking No.1 nationally in the running vertical leap test after jumping 101cm, which is 1cm short of the mark Nic Naitanui set in 2008.

The teenager, who was restricted to stair climbs on Wednesday, was excited to work through his rehabilitation with AFL high performance and medical staff and then build on his athletic traits.

"In the early stages, I was really just doing it a lot [of rehab] by myself and with the guidance of a really good physio as well," he said.

"I was going to my local gym and having to guide myself through it and create my own motivation and be disciplined.

"But coming into this amazing facility ... I've got so many great resources and so many great people I can now lean on, and that really gives me the confidence that I'll be able to come back better than ever."

Allen brings versatility to the Eagles, having spent some time forward and in the midfield, but he looms as an exciting wingman for the club after playing his best football in the hard-running role.

"For me, it's really about playing in any role that I'm needed, and I feel like I've got the versatility and the ability to do that and be really adaptable within the team," he said.

"But the wing role is something that I've always really enjoyed. And on a big ground like Optus Stadium, that would be a great role to play."

West Coast has undergone an extensive transition of its playing list this off-season, adding 11 new players, including SSP signings Dev Robertson, Finlay McCrae and Harry Schoenberg.

The trio, who officially joined the club on Monday, trained on Wednesday morning as the Eagles donned orange socks to support the 16 Days in WA campaign, which aims to drive a change in culture, behaviour and attitudes that lead to violence against women and their children.

Star midfielder Harley Reid was carefully managed during the session, spending time on a stationary bike.

Draftees Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler, Josh Lindsay, Tylah Williams and Fred Rodriguez were all heavily involved and looked comfortable throughout the session.

Rodriguez, who was overlooked in the national draft before the Eagles landed him as a rookie on Friday, said he was motivated to prove clubs wrong after he had been passed over.

"It's stoked a little bit of a fire for them to pass me up in the National Draft," Rodriguez said.

"Watching the Draft and sitting there is pretty stressful and you're just waiting for your name to be called out. Every name that goes by, you know there's one less pick and one less opportunity.

"After Thursday and not getting called, I was pretty gutted. But then Friday, I was super stoked to end up at West Coast."

Next Generation Academy forward Williams, who was recruited with pick No.39 after the Eagles matched a bid from Fremantle, said he felt at home landing with the Eagles after training with the team at stages during 2025 and playing two WAFL games for the club.

The exciting goalkicker said he had been in touch with fellow Academy players Koby Evans and Wes Walley, with Evans landing at Brisbane and Walley winning a training spot with Carlton's VFL program. 
 
"It would've been good to at least have one more NGA stay ... but to see them go on their own path and own journeys over the other side of Australia is really exciting and I wish them all the best and hopefully they go well over there," Williams said.