'Publicly everyone hated me': Emotional Eagles captain unpacks the truth behind Sam Mitchell meeting

West Coast captain Oscar Allen choked up when asked how he was fairing after a turbulent month.

The Eagles star found himself in the spotlight after a meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell leaked, leading to him holding a press conference and apologising to upset fans.

Allen is a free agent at the end of the season and has been heavily linked with a move to either the Hawks or Brisbane.

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The 26-year-old on Thursday did his best to explain what actually happened, admitting he was frustrated with the public portrayal of the meeting.

"It's been a difficult four or five weeks, highlighted by the fact that we're not playing well as a team, we haven't won a game yet, and I have been playing poorly as well, so there has been a couple of other factors involved," Allen told Mix94.5 in Perth.

"To go back to the start, I've known Mitch (Sam Mitchell) since I was 18. We've had a relationship for a long period of time.

"I caught up with Sam. The thing that frustrated me was people annoyed that I did it in public. I had dinner with Sam privately at my house. Nothing else was involved. No one else was there.

"It was just two guys having a chat. We talked about a lot of things. We were just having a conversation about where I'm at, how I've been going this year.

"He was obviously a premiership captain for Hawthorn in 2008 and then they had a couple of tough years and I wanted to know how they responded to that. We had a good conversation there.

"Then it got played out that I met him in public. I clearly understand the frustration of the fans and the annoyance a lot of people had, but I didn't think it would be as big of a story."

Allen was asked how he was handling the pressure and the spotlight, and got somewhat emotional in his response.

"I'm going a lot better now. It definitely was really tough. I love West Coast, I love playing footy, and I wasn't able to do any of that well," Allen said, choking up.

"And then because of that, your identity as a footballer and a person sort of get merged. Playing footy is something I have loved to do since I was a kid, and my job was going poorly. Publicly everyone hated me. And my performance was poor.

"It was tough, but I've had a really good support network around me and my partner, family and the footy club have supported me and my decision and I'm excited to get back to my best."

Nine chief AFL reporter Tom Morris believes Allen is set to depart for Brisbane at the end of the season.