She’ll be without her sister, but Sarah Allan excited to build on defensive role in AFLW 03

As she approaches her third season in the AFLW — but remains one of the youngest on the Crows list — Sarah Allan talks defence, fitness and her sister’s leaving the club

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CROWS tall Sarah Allan is looking to build on last season’s stand-out defensive role as Round 1 of the AFLW looms large.

At 178cm and originally a utility/ruck in Adelaide’s inaugural 2017 season, last year Allan was pushed back into defence, where she played every game and flourished winning the club’s 2018 Best Defensive Player award. She was also runner-up club champion.

She’s expecting her third AFLW season to continue building on that.

“I’ll try and be more of a leader in the backline and use my experience and help others out there,” she said at training on Wednesday.

“We’ve got a lot of experience with older players so I just need to take on what they’re saying but also push what I’m saying as well.”

The 21-year-old said she enjoyed playing down back alongside Chelsea Randall with “all her courage running back to take a mark”.

“But I also really like playing with Courtney Cramey and having her experience and her advice right near me and constantly reminding me to do the little things that will make a difference,” she said.

Last season saw Allan’s younger sister Jess join her at West Lakes, where she played four games in the ruck.

Jess and Sarah Allan at the Adelaide Football Club training Headquarters. Picture Sarah Reed

But the sister act has been broken with Jess, 19, accepting a position in the Australian Army, which requires three months of intense training and doesn’t permit her to play on weekends.

Allan said her sister was due to leave for Canberra at the end of January and would miss her presence both on and off the field.

“We do a lot together,” Allan said.

“We come to training, do gym together and I’m going to miss that part of it.

“But she’s got her career aspirations and she’s got to go and fulfil it and that’s important because with football it’s not a full-time career yet and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to fulfil your aspirations.”

Allan said the Crows list had a lot of versatility with its tall players and wasn’t expecting therefore to be drawn back into the ruck.

“If we need someone to jump in, any of the talls can play that role if Rhiannon (Metcalfe) can’t be in there,” she said.

“But if they need me to jump in, I’ll do whatever the coach says, I’m not fussed.

“I’ll play wherever I get put, but I have been enjoying defence because I like having a role and trying to fulfil it.”

Allan said the squad was fitter than it had ever been and was looking forward to playing their first game against reigning AFLW premiers Western Bulldogs at Norwood Oval on February 2.

The team flies to Darwin on Friday for a three-night pre-season camp that will include a trial game against Fremantle on Saturday night.

Originally published as She’ll be without her sister, but Sarah Allan excited to build on defensive role in AFLW 03