Jason Allwood: Cowboys prop has led a fascinating life

Imbued with an adventurous spirit, the Farrer alumnus went from the intensity of the NRL system to the outback and, eventually, a three-year working honeymoon around Australia that COVID ended prematurely.

Sitting on a bench at Anzac Park, Allwood presents as the archetypal gentle giant - an engaging man with a kind face and an interesting story, which he detailed with enthusiasm and a laudable memory recall.

"Honestly, had COVID not hit, we might still be on it," he said of his honeymoon. "We were loving it."

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Upon returning to Tamworth in 2020, with his wife Hannah by his side, Allwood again extricated himself from his comfort zone: in 2021 he resumed playing rugby league 13 years after hanging up his boots, lured back by the Cowboys' strong Farrer connection.

That connection includes the side's co-coaches, Luke Taylor and Shaun Ferguson, who are plotting to end North Tamworth's unprecedented golden reign.

Allwood and Ferguson were members of the Farrer side who won the 2003 University Shield. And on Saturday afternoon at Dungowan Recreation Reserve, they will pack down together when the Cowboys and the Bears meet in a highly anticipated grand final.

"I've played with Fergs since under-13s," Allwood said of Ferguson, the Cowboys' No 17.

Allwood grew up on the massive Glenrock cattle station near Scone (his father was the overseer) and he boarded at Farrer.

After high school, he played two seasons of Jersey Flegg Cup at the Sydney Roosters and then two seasons of first grade for the Ourimbah Magpies on the Central Coast.

He said it was his decision to leave the Roosters. His teammates at the club included Mitchell Pearce, Mitch Aubusson and Shaun Kenny-Dowall.

"For me, it was a really good launching pad for everything else that's followed in my life," he said of his Roosters stint.

At age 22, Allwood walked away from rugby league and, in 2012, he moved to Alice Springs - where he knew no one. There, he continued to work in disability services.

"I wanted something different," he said of his decision to stop playing footy. "It was always a big part of my life."

Alice Springs was "a bit like the Wild West", he said, adding: "Some days you feel like you're stepping back in time.

"But for a little country town, it's also very progressive in a lot of ways; there's a massive community of gay and lesbian and transgender people."

He met Hannah in Alice Springs. And by 2013 the couple were living in Darwin, where he got involved in mental health and youth work in remote communities.

It was in Darwin that Allwood reconnected with his mother, whom he had not seen or spoken to since 2001. He doesn't believe he consciously moved to the Northern Territory because of her.

"It was a bizarre but really good experience," he said of reconnecting with his mother.

In 2017, Allwood and Hannah got married in Darwin - before going on the protracted honeymoon, which included fruit-picking and, for him, mustering. They were living in Tasmania when COVID invaded our shores in early 2020.

"Most people that I know that have done similar trips have either a) not done it for as long [as he and Hannah] or b) had a caravan or a pretty good touring set-up," Allwood said.

By August 2020, Allwood had returned to Tamworth and was working for the Clontarf Foundation at Oxley High, where he has remained as he helps prepare Indigenous students for life after school.

On Saturday, he will attempt to help Dungowan turn their great year into a fairytale year by halting North Tamworth's record run at six consecutive premierships and, in the process, win their debut first-grade title.

"We're confident ... we've had a great year," he said, but added: "I think that we're definitely the underdogs."

"We've been training really well," he also said, "and there's a really good vibe around all grades at the club." Dungowan's league tag and under-18 sides have also made the grand final.

Win or lose, Allwood expects to retire after Saturday's encounter.

He said it had been "really good to mix it up with some of those younger guys" in the side. Cowboys No 1 Trent Taylor - Luke's son - "was a baby" when Allwood was at Farrer.

"So that's kind of weird, playing alongside him," he said, adding that his life has been "an unusual journey".

"But I wouldn't change it now."

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