Bowes weighs in with his case for selection
ANDREW HAMILTON JACK Bowes worked hard all summer to reach 80kg.
His effort was rewarded when the scales finally ticked over last Thursday.
Then he played the Suns intra-club in last Saturday’s heatwave and the needle swung back into the mid-70s.
It was a mere blip and in a week or so of eating and training he has reclaimed the missing kilos and feels ready to go.
“I finally got there on the Thursday then lost a few of them, but building a lot of strength was definitely one thing, just to give myself confidence I can play,’’ he said.
The Suns’ fourth pick at No.10 in last year’s draft pick was the first player taken in the top 10 out of either Queensland AFL club academies.
He is an example of what the AFL’s investment in Queensland is doing for talented young athletes.
But he is also proof that hard work and dedication pay off.
As a star junior footballer in Cairns, Bowes was identified early and given every opportunity through representative programs and the Suns north coast academy.
“The academy started when I was about 12 and when I got invited to that it laid the foundation pathway all the way through to the under-18s,’’ he said.
He has been one of Queensland’s most decorated juniors of recent times – starring for the state under-18s where he was the player of the carnival and the Allies and then becoming the only Queenslander named in the All-Australian under-18 side.
His representative feats got him noticed around the country but it was taking the plunge and moving away from home to the Gold Coast to join the Suns AFL academy that has him on the cusp of a Round 1 QClash debut.
The Suns selected three players above him, although that doesn’t suggest they ranked him fourth, it was merely because access rules to academy players meant they didn’t have to burn their earlier picks to secure him.
All have the potential to be stars, but Bowes has been the standout and has already been tipped by coach Rodney Eade to lay against the Lions on March 25. “Through the academy last year, having the chance to have a taste of an AFL pre-season gave me the confidence coming into this year,’’ he said.
“I could back myself in because I understood the struc- tures and how they want to play and how everything worked which gave me a bit of a headstart in that sense.’’
He will take another step towards a Round 1 start when he lines up for the Suns, alongside fellow draftees Ben Ain- sworth (four) and Will Brodie (nine) in tomorrow’s JLT match against the Lions.
The fourth, Jack Scrimshaw (seven), has found the going tough over pre-season but is expected to get a chance in the coming weeks.