Adelaide defender Najwa Allen has felt the pain of losing a Grand Final and also the pure joy of winning a flag.

Allen was part of the Crows side that lost to Brisbane in Season Five’s decider, before playing an integral role in Adelaide’s win against Melbourne in last season’s Grand Final.

But one thing that Allen, who made her AFLW debut in 2020, did not know before this campaign was the hurt of being omitted from team selection.

The defender lined up in Adelaide’s Round One Grand Final rematch against Melbourne but, by her own admission, her form wasn’t up to scratch and she was left out of the side for Round Two.

Allen was able to earn her spot back for Round Three and has played every game since, averaging 9.1 disposals.

Speaking to AFC Media ahead of this Friday night’s blockbuster Qualifying Final - against the Demons - Allen conceded it was the kick she needed to get back into form.

“I started (the season) a bit slowly,” Allen said.

“Then I got dropped, which was really disappointing for me and it was the first time I had ever been dropped playing AFLW, but I think in the long run that’s actually really helped me.

“I think sometimes you fall into lulls and you don’t realise you’re in them until something like that happens.

“From there, it was about switching my mindset, coming back at it and just having a more aggressive nature about my game and that’s what has allowed me to play a lot better, hold my spot and deserve it.”

“I think sometimes you fall into lulls and you don’t realise you’re in them until something like that happens.

Adelaide booked its place in a fifth finals series following a come-from-behind win against St Kilda last Saturday.

Allen said players needed to start well against Melbourne but would take confidence out of their ability to fight back and snatch wins.

“The nice thing about having off games is that it shows us we are able to come back from not starting the way we wanted, which is something we’ve probably had trouble with previously,” Allen said.

“We’ve had a lot of games this year where we haven’t necessarily started as well as we could’ve and we go into the second half down and we come back and win the game.

“It’s good to know that we can do that going into finals.”

The Crows lost to the Demons in Round One and Allen said facing off against them in a Qualifying Final was an opportunity to atone for that.

“Round One definitely wasn’t my game and that was against Melbourne, so I’m pretty excited to have another crack at them,” Allen said.

“We need to bring that Crows footy, the heavy, pressing game, moving the ball well and moving it quickly.

“We need to play aggressive Crows footy. Melbourne is a team that can put a few past you pretty quickly if you let them, so we can’t let them get into the game.”

The Crows team will be released on Thursday at 5pm.

Adelaide takes on Melbourne at IKON Park on Friday, November 4, at 7.10pm AEST (6.40pm ACDT).