Matt Bowen
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Bowen | |
| Date of birth | March 9 1982 | |
| Place of birth | Cairns, Australia | |
| Height | 1.75 m | |
| Weight | 78 kg | |
| Nickname | Matty | |
| Position | Full Back | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | North Queensland | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (points) |
| 2001-present | North Queensland | ?? (238) |
| Representative teams** | ||
| Queensland | 7 (?) | |
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* Professional club appearances and points |
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Matthew Bowen (born March 9, 1982 in Cairns, Queensland) is an Australian rugby league player for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League competition, as well as being a regular member of the Queensland State of Origin Team. His club position is Fullback although he is usually used as a utility bench player when playing for Queensland. On the 2004 Tri-Nations tour of Great Britain he played fullback for Australia in the tour matches.
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[edit] Playing career
Bowen started his junior playing career with both Souths in Townsville and playing for his school, Abergowrie College. Impressing many with his pace, agility and ability, he was duly selected in the Queensland Schoolboys in 1999, Queensland Under 19's in 2000 and the Junior Kangaroos in 2001. Despite his early athletic achievements, he was always told he was too small, and coaches typically felt he was too light-weight to play in the major leagues. However, Bowen has proven time and time again that skill, finesse, and brilliant decision making are capable of beating bulk. He is notorious for using an Allen Iverson-like cross-over move in rugby league, known as a sidestep, that only few can master in a fast professional game. He has a phenomenal ability to anticipate motions, and read the game. He dances between, and past opponents without them even touching him. Thus, Bowen is considered quite dangerous, and known to abruptly change the score of a game.
Most of all, he enjoys playing. One may find him coaching youth, or rooting for his favourite QLD Indigenous Australian/Torres Island Straits community team at the annual Blacks tournament. Or he may be found playing hard along side his uncles, cousins, brothers, and friends.[citation needed]
[edit] North Queensland Cowboys
Matthew Bowen is considered one of the most exciting players in rugby league. Bowen's love for the game grew from his upbringing in the remote Cape York town of Hope Vale, under the guidance of his father and mother who watched him playing football, fishing, and riding horses.[citation needed]
Bowen was signed by the North Queensland Cowboys in his teens, and made his first grade debut on February 17, 2001 against state rivals the Brisbane Broncos at Dairy Farmers Stadium. He finished the 2004 season on the highest note possible by being selected for Australia for the Tri-Nations Tour to England. While he did not play an official Test match, he played fullback for the ANZACs (against Cumbria), for Australia against France, and again against the USA in the match at Philadelphia on the return leg of the tour. During this game, a fatigued Australian side that had conquered England and played a lengthy representative and club season were losing to the United States and used Bowen from the bench who scored three tries, resulting in eventual victory for the Australian side. Combined with his Origin experience for Queensland, and involvement in the Cowboys' first two appearances in NRL finals series, Bowen is one of the senior players in the Cowboys lineup. Overall, Bowen is a quiet achiever who enjoys playing football.
He has a cousin Brenton Bowen who also plays for the Cowboys, and has gained a temporary spot replacing the injured Ty Williams in the first grade lineup. Affectionally called Matty, he proved to be the game-breaker in the first match of the 2005 State of Origin series. After coming off the bench in the second half, he intercepted a pass from New South Wales Half-Back Brett Kimmorley and ran 40m to score in Extra Time, thus winning the game for Queensland. Bowen would also score memorable tries in the second and third game and would gain a starting selection despite some people questioning his place in the side. He would then, combined with player of the year Johnathan Thurston, lead the Cowboys to take a young cowboys side to the Grand final only to lose by a minimal margin. Bowen was again added to the tour of England but was not used in a controversial decision, which left the Australian's to lose their first series against New Zealand for more than thirty years.
In 2006, Matty gained starting selection for the Queensland team. He "controversially" missed Australia's test match. After scoring the most tries in 2005 (21) he scored only a low 5 in 2006, which summed up his clus season surronded by alleged scandals, various in injuries and possibly ego problems, which also affected the West Tigers, who defeated the Cowboys in the previous seasons grand final. It must be noted however, that Matt Bowen will be expected to come out in 2007 scoring many more tries after controversy followed by poor club form cost him and a number of team mates representative honours.
His current statistics for the Cowboys are:
- Tries: 54
- Goals: 11
- Total Points: 238
[edit] Community
In his community, Bowen authors an article in local papers, has released a shirt (the Bowen Special, as a charity fundraising exercise).
Bowen is seen as an advocate for Aborigines worldwide.
[edit] Representative Games
- Cowboys 2004 Cinderella Season: Instrumental in leading an underdog young league, to the grand national finals.
- State Of Origin: Played 7 games in total for Queensland.
- Australia: Went on the 2004 Kangaroo tour of Britain and the USA 2005 Kangaroo tour.
