SANFLW Coaches Award - 2019
Inaugural Ellen Maple Medallist - 2019
Allen began her sporting career playing soccer in Canberra, but around 2016 she was encouraged by her best friend and fellow soccer player, Alison (“Allie”) Lound, to try Australian Rules Football. In 2018, her third season playing for the Eastlake Demons, everything ‘came together’ for Allen when she won a Premiership, received the award for Best on Ground in the Grand Final, and was awarded the club’s Backhouse/Diprose Medal for Best and Fairest that season. Allen was also selected to be a part of the GWS Giant’s winter series that year, although she didn’t end up playing a game.
By now, Allen wanted to play as much football as she could. Fellow Canberran player Hannah Dunn texted Allen to say she was moving to Norwood to play in the SANFLW and asked if Allen would like to join her. Allen agreed, hoping to be able to play SANFLW, VFLW and ACT football throughout the year to fit in 30 or so games, instead of ten in a year in just one competition, so she made the decision to join Dunn at Norwood for the 2019 SANFLW season.
On arrival at Norwood, Allen says that neither she nor Dunn were confident in even being selected to play a game of SANFLW football at Norwood. However, this apprehension was misplaced. Allen starred in her first year, winning almost any and every accolade that was on offer. During her first season, Allen was the inaugural recipient of the Ellen Maple Medal. (This medal was struck to honour 2017 Norwood Premiership player and 2018 Sturt player Ellen Maple, following her death in a road accident in 2018. The medal is awarded to the player adjudged in the first Norwood v Sturt fixture of each season to have showed exemplary courage and determination).
By season’s end, Allen had been selected as vice-captain in the SANFLW Advertiser Team of the Year; was awarded the club’s Best and Fairest award; won the SANFLW League Best and Fairest Medal and was awarded the Women Coaches Trophy. Allen was also a part of the Port Adelaide squad for the women’s showdown showcase games before being drafted by the Adelaide Crows. Unfortunately, Norwood lost both the semi and preliminary finals and exited the 2019 finals without making the Grand Final and having the chance to win the Premiership.
In 2022, Allen was a member of the Adelaide Crows Premiership team and in 2023, she was Norwood’s leading goalkicker.
Allen played her last season for Norwood in 2024. In what was to be her final game before having to finish her SANFLW season due to upcoming pre season commitments with the Crows, Allen played against Sturt at Thebarton Oval. In the first half of the game, Allen and her team mate Tahlita Buethke formed an impenetrable wall across half back where every forward entry made by Sturt was blocked by Allen or Buethke, (which was incredible to witness live at the game). Both of them were the obvious candidates for the Ellen Maple Medal, and Buethke triumphed on this occasion.
The 2024 AFLW season was a difficult one for Allen, who missed a large number of games due to injury. At the end of the season, Allen requested a trade to Hawthorn and will play there from 2025. Allen leaves Norwood as it’s most decorated female player. Her love and loyalty for Norwood has always been evident – so much so that she even joined pre season training sessions with the club in the transition period before relocating to Melbourne to play for Hawthorn.
The Long Gallery in the corridor beneath the western stand at Norwood Oval features around forty iconic action shots of Norwood footballers, dating back 120 or so years to the early 1900s. The first woman to have an action shot in the Long Gallery is none other than Najwa Allen, who’s poise and natural talent on the field made her a favourite subject of photographers on match days.
Off the field, Allen is an Exercise Physiologist and enjoys going to the beach.
Chris Brown, December 2024