ANY discussion on women's football right across the Northern Territory will inevitably evolve around the exploits and input of Waratah and St Mary's premiership player and coach Colleen Gwynne.
Such is the respect Gwynne has earned through the Top End game and interstate from the game's governors, the best and fairest medal in the NTFL's Women's Premier League is named after her in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the women's game.
In 2017 Gwynne was handed an assistant coaching role with the Adelaide Crows AFLW side, playing a major role in the Crows' breakthrough flag in the shortened inaugural season as the club's backline coach.
The constant travel eventually wore Gwynne down, temporarily ending her association with then Crows coach Bec Goddard.
It was the same year the AFLNT bestowed her with the honour of naming the prestigious WPL medal after her.
"I got the call when I was with the Crows and was a bit speechless to be honest when the league told me they wanted it to happen and that they had voted on it,'' Gwynne recalled.
"It was an amazing honour that came about through not only my playing and coaching, but also in administration and pushing forward and promoting women's football at every opportunity.''
The esteem she is held in the women's game prompted Goddard, now coach of Hawthorn's VFLW side, to invite Gwynne to work with the Hawk's women as they prepare for the 2022 season and their entry into the AFLW in 2023.
Gwynne's knowledge of the game has added an extra dimension to Hawthorn's on and off field preparations, while helping to promote the Territory's women footballers and their aspirations to play at a higher level.
Her playing career began at St Mary's where the green and gold jumpers dominated the formative years of the competition, playing in eight of the first nine grand finals and winning five of them.
"I remember Rosannah De Santis saw me at the Parap markets and asked me if I wanted a game of football,'' Gwynne said.
"It was a matter of being at the Marrara ground at a certain time, so I rocked up not even knowing what club it was.
"Those early days were not like they are now, the women's footy was not under the AFLNT, more like a social competition than anything.''
Gwynne's move to Waratah echoed the sentiments of footballers of both genders when she decided to join her mates at Waratah in 2011.
"Most of my friends were playing at Waratah, a lot of the girls I played netball with and when I went away for a rep game with the NT Kites and was convinced to come over and play with my mates, I made the move,'' she said.
"But it was a hard decision to leave Saints because I really loved the girls I was playing with, there was just so much talent there.
"Tahs weren't doing very well at that point, they weren't a top side and were struggling so that was another reason I crossed over, to get them up the ladder and be more competitive.''
The red and white jumpers did improve, winning five premierships in a row on the way to seven Premier League flags in nine successive grand final appearances with Gwynne on board as a player and coach.
Gwynne was the brains behind the Rising Tahs Program she kicked off in 2018, training sessions that were aimed at boosting player numbers at the club and providing a structured setup for young girls coming into the game.
"There were so many youngsters wanting to play the game, so while I was away with the Crows I thought a new program was needed to provide more than just getting the girls down to the club to have a kick,'' she said.
"The program looked at everything that was needed to play the game and it brought significant numbers to the club.''
Gwynne is always looking for ways to improve the women's game and lifting scoring rates is one of them.
"I've been talking to a lot of people about the game while here in Melbourne and one of the areas we need to have a look at it is the ability to score more goals,'' she said.
"The AFLW competition does impact a little bit on that because it's limited in terms of the length of the season and therefore the ability of coaches to take some risks and use a bit of flair is restricted.
"As a result there is very little room to trial things because the season is so short, but once the kids coming into the game start to grow up with it, their skills will get better and the flow of the game will get better.''
Gwynne can see some brighter times ahead for Territory footballers, including the part our women are playing in the VFLW as the clubs and players aspire to better competitions.
"That will result in more Territory women being drafted into the national competition, something we're already seeing at Hawthorn with Dom Carbone and Eliza Shannon in the top five players in the side,'' she said.
"It becomes a question of how we can play a role in the national competition and it's important we keep an AFLW team out of Darwin on the agenda.
"AFLNT chairman Sean Bowden is a big supporter of a Territory AFL team and looking at the VFLW and the Territory players that are involved, I have no doubt an NT women's team in the national competition would not only be competitive, but actually win the competition with the amount of talent we have.
"If we've got the scope to work with our best players in a really professional environment, anything is possible.''
