Jess Allan has become a key draft prospect after impressing at testing

THE Adelaide women’s team might have its first sisters as teammates after Jessica Allan impresses at combine.

Chloe Scheer and Jessica Allan ahead of the national U18 championships. Picture: Dylan Coker

THE Crows could have its first two sisters in the side next season after Jessica Allan, the younger sister of premiership player Sarah, was outstanding during tests at the first national women’s draft combine in Melbourne this week.

Allan, 18, won both the standing and running vertical jumps and finished sixth in the 20m sprint as the country’s most sought-after female talent went through physical testing at Etihad Stadium.

Her efforts — combined with an outstanding effort in the Bec Goddard-coached Allies at the AFL women’s under-18 championships in Queensland earlier this year — have not gone unnoticed by the Crows.

She also fits in with what the Crows’ need for next season — players who can provide run on the outside and kick a goal.

“I suppose what we need to look at is our needs for the team,” football manager Phil Harper said. “We lost Kellie Gibson last year and she was an outside, running goal kicking forward.

“So we’ll be looking for some of those.

“And Jess performed really well.

“Not only at the draft camp (draft combine) but also at the under-18 national championship and with the Allies team.

“She’s definitely on our radar and it’ll be good for her to be able to join her sister if she gets drafted.”

Harper said there was plenty of talent to choose from when the draft is conducted on October 18.

The Crows have first dibs on the South Australians as long as they list SA as their preferred destination.

“The good part is that the talent that’s fallen out from the under-18s, the (women’s) SANFL competition and SAFL competition seems to have fallen into areas that we need, which is outside running players, back-up rock and forwards who can kick goals.

“And all of the players who are in the mix and who we are looking at can play those sort of roles for us.”

Allan, who plays with Salisbury and Glenelg locally, turned heads at the Etihad Stadium tests.

AFL female football talent manager Aasta O’Connor singled her out as one of the 46 players who caught the eye.

“Jess had an amazing under-18s carnival up on the Gold Coast earlier in the year and is a really young leader the way in which she conducts herself off the field,” O’Connor told the AFL website.

“She’s ruck, half-forward, half-back and you sort of thing, ‘Wow’.

“She’s 184cm and so driven so I’m sure whichever club takes her — you’d be crazy not to if you’re the Crows — but I’m sure she’ll find herself on a list.

“As soon as she gets into that club environment she’ll work really hard and have an impact year one.”

Originally published as Jess Allan has become a key draft prospect after impressing at testing