Courtesy: Fox Sports


Gold Coast academy prospect Jack Bowes on how futsal helped his budding AFL career

by Ben Waterworth

THERE might be a few players in this year’s draft class with more talent than Jack Bowes — although that’s a small group — but few, if any, would be as passionate about their craft and chosen pathway as the gun midfielder.

And that’s despite growing up as a sportaholic that tried his hand at every game in a far-north Queensland city not renowned for its love for AFL.

Before moving to the Gold Coast to link up with the Suns’ Academy program, Bowes developed an unwavering love for several sports growing up in Cairns — a city that was once lucky to host, at most, the odd AFL pre-season game.

“I reckon I would’ve played at half-time in most of them too,” Bowes laughed.

As he describes it, Bowes tended to hang around with the “sporty boys” at school, which helped him develop an array of skills. Basketball, soccer, golf, cricket, AFL, futsal — name the sport and Bowes, most likely, would’ve had a crack at it at some point. And been pretty good at it.

At one stage, futsal loomed as Bowes’ first sporting love.

“I made two Australian sides when I was about 14 or 15, but I didn’t want to go overseas. It was about $8000 to go on a tour to like Barcelona or America. There is no pathway in futsal, so I wasn’t going to waste money on that,” Bowes said.

Eventually, the boy of many sporting talents had to pick one sport to focus on.

For Bowes, the choice was simple — and made easier when the Suns’ Academy came knocking.

“AFL was always the sport that stuck with me the most, I always had that passion for it,” Bowes told foxfooty.com.au.

“I really couldn’t truly describe the passion I have for the game. I just feel like it’s encrypted in me. There’s just something about it that you love.

“You can take a lot out of that when you look at people winning grand finals. When they win a premiership, they can’t really describe what it feels like. It’s sort of a bit like that for me.

“I’m a student of the game, someone who just wants to know about its history.”

While Bowes never grew up in a footy-mad location — he reckons he was one of the only kids at primary school that played or even showed interest in AFL — he grew up in a footy-mad family.

His father grew up on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne and played footy for Mt Eliza.

“His friends tell me he was pretty good, but he likes to keep quiet,” Bowes laughed.

After being picked out and developed by the Suns’ Academy while in Cairns, Bowes received the opportunity to relocate to the Gold Coast just before he turned 17.

He wanted footy to become his life, so it would’ve been foolish to pass up such a terrific opportunity. But in order for it to become his life, he had to leave a large chunk of his life behind.

“Leaving family, friends and school behind, it was probably the toughest thing, especially to have a new school for Year 12 and getting to know new people and make new friends was challenging,” Bowes said.

“But I’ve definitely come out the other side of it and I couldn’t thank them enough for helping me fast-track my development as a player and a person.”

One aspect of the move Bowes didn’t have to worry about too much was accommodation, as his grandparents, who live less than a 10-minute drive from Metricon Stadium, were more than happy to take him on board.

‘Pop’ had always loved his Aussie Rules, while ‘Nan’ hadn’t necessarily warmed to the sport yet. But much has changed over the past two years.

“Nan has been absolutely brainwashed. She really loves it now,” Bowes laughed.

“They’ve always been there for me with any sport I play. If I was playing cricket, they would come on cricket trips when we’d go away, as well as soccer, footy — whatever it is.

“There is a story about Pop where he didn’t follow his sporting career. So he’s wanted to make sure with his sons and his grandsons that he was always there for them and he’s supported us all the way.”

The support of his grandparents, as well as other family, friends and coaches, has played a big part in Bowes’ stunning yet constant surge up this year’s draft class order, highlighted by a 2016 campaign that, he says, has “exceeded my expectations are little bit”.

A silky, smooth and efficient on-baller, the 18-year-old was named Queensland’s MVP of the Division 2 Under 18 championships then won All-Australian honours after a solid Division 1 carnival for the Allies.

Bowes also performed well for the Suns’ NEAFL team. His efforts in the elimination final, which included 31 disposals, eight clearances and eight inside 50s, proved he could handle playing against more mature bodies.

Most impressively, Bowes finished off his year in fine style, racking up over 20 disposals in the Under 18 All-Stars game on Grand Final eve before recording personal best results in the 20m sprint and 3km time trial at the national AFL draft combine.

Despite many standout games, Bowes believes his season highlight was flying to the US with the AFL Academy in January, which “put everything into perspective” and gave him “a good base for the year to come”.

On the trip, he discovered early on where he sat in the draft pool — both internally and externally.

Almost 10 months later and Bowes looms as a likely top-10 pick. What selection he’s specifically taken at, however, remains unclear, as the Suns have four of the first 10 selections and it’s hard to see rival clubs with early picks bidding on him considering their respective needs.

But barring any unexpected twists, Bowes should still land at the Suns — the club he feels like he’s already part of.

“You’re basically representing the club’s Under 18s,” he said.

“You take interest in how they’re going and you want them to win, you go along to the games supporting them.

“You can see yourself out there in the future, but you’ve got to make sure that you can see yourself at any other stadium in Australia as well, because you never know what might happen.”

One of the advantages Bowes has over many other draftees is that he’s already had a significant glimpse and insight into AFL life.

Through the Suns’ Academy, Bowes has spent ample time at Metricon Stadium, training with the club at various stages over the summer and during the back-half of the 2016 season, as well as sitting in on meetings involving first to fourth-year players.

What the club hasn’t done, though, is provided Bowes with any clear indication of whether they’ll match any rival bid on him.

“I wish they would,” Bowes laughed.

“That’s the great part about the draft, you never know what is going to happen and you can’t be complacent. Come draft tonight, you want to be on the edge of your seat.

“I prefer to be that way than be complacent. That’s what every other boy in the open draft goes through, so I’d like to experience that as well.”

Bowes believes his versatility would appeal to most AFL clubs, while his ability to be clean with the ball at stoppages and in space — either by hand or foot — are his biggest strengths.

Interestingly, Bowes credits the sport that nearly stole his heart for some of his best AFL attributes.

“Futsal has been one of the greatest tools of my development as a footballer,” Bowes said.

“It teaches you how to defend first then attack, it teaches you how to read to the game because you’ve got to have a quick reaction time and reflexes, you’ve got to be able to make decisions quickly.”


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com