Joel Bowden

Bowden was born at the Mildura Base Hospital in Mildura, Victoria, to mother Judy and father Michael Bowden (a Richmond Football Club premiership player),[https://anchor.fm/territorystory/episodes/122--Joel-Bowden---Eye-of-the-Tiger-ei3fn3 Territory Story] By Leon Loganathan & Peter Gowers one of four biological brothers (including older brother Sean Bowden and younger brother Patrick Bowden) he was part of a football dynasty.[https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/at-home-with-the-bowdens-20060428-ge27ls.html At home with the Bowdens] by Lyall Johnson for The Age April 28, 2006

Bowden's family moved to the remote South Australian community of Ernabella, in the 1980s as a very young boy where his father Michael was a community advisor. He spent a couple of years playing with indigenous children in the area. The family returned to Mildura for a few years before returning to Alice Springs in 1987, where Michael became a teacher and where Joel completed his schooling from the age of 9.

Joel played for the Northern Territory Schoolboys in 1993. He was named in the All-Australian Schoolboy's team and won the J.L Williams Medal as best player. In 1994 he once again represented the Northern Territory.[https://www.aflnt.com.au/aboutteam-of-the-century/joel-bowden Joel Bowden] from AFL Northern Territory Team of the Century In addition to football, Bowden represented the Northern Territory twice in cricket at under 17 level.

Bowden was drafted at the end of the 1995 AFL season under a father-son selection.

In 2006, Bowden was among the leading possession getters in the AFL, and had the most possessions shared between any two players with his brother Patrick. He played his 200th AFL game in round 8 against Adelaide, gathering 34 possessions as the Tigers used low risk short-passing tactics to upset the then-ladder-leading Crows by three points just a week after suffering a 118-point loss to the Sydney Swans.{{cite web|url=http://www.afc.com.au/news/2006-05-20/crows-come-up-short|title=Crows come up short|first=Jason|last=Phelan|publisher=Adelaide Football Club official website|date=20 May 2006|access-date=1 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402132815/http://www.afc.com.au/news/2006-05-20/crows-come-up-short|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}

In round 16, 2008, Bowden was at the centre of a major controversy regarding rushed behinds. With Richmond up by 6 points against Essendon with less than a minute left, Bowden proceeded to wipe the remaining time off the clock by rushing 2 behinds from the kick out.{{cite web|title=Joel Bowden Rushed Behinds (AFL, Richmond v Essendon, Round 16, 2008)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9dqFsZYzQ8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/a9dqFsZYzQ8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube|publisher=Channel93|access-date=12 January 2018}}{{cbignore}} These tactics which caused an uproar with many calling for the current rules to be changed; football journalist Mike Sheahan even likened it to the infamous Trevor Chappell underarm delivery incident. He played his last game against Collingwood in Round 20, 2009, who defeated Richmond by 93 points.[http://diehardfooty.com/the-rushed-behind-debate-aka-keep-mike-sheehan-off-the-rules-committee The Rushed Behind Debate] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710123554/http://diehardfooty.com/the-rushed-behind-debate-aka-keep-mike-sheehan-off-the-rules-committee |date=10 July 2011 }}

:[http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/J/Joel_Bowden.html Joel Bowden's player profile at AFL Tables]

{{AFL player statistics legend}}

{{AFL player statistics start}}

|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1996

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 5 || 4 || 3 || 17 || 14 || 31 || 7 || 3 || 0.8 || 0.6 || 3.4 || 2.8 || 6.2 || 1.4 || 0.6

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1997

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 13 || 21 || 9 || 146 || 75 || 221 || 51 || 21 || 1.6 || 0.7 || 11.2 || 5.8 || 17.0 || 3.9 || 1.6

|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1998

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 18 || 17 || 19 || 178 || 131 || 309 || 72 || 36 || 0.9 || 1.1 || 9.9 || 7.3 || 17.2 || 4.0 || 2.0

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1999

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 22 || 15 || 11 || 238 || 183 || 421 || 82 || 38 || 0.7 || 0.5 || 10.8 || 8.3 || 19.1 || 3.7 || 1.7

|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2000

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 22 || 19 || 14 || 293 || 203 || 496 || 124 || 51 || 0.9 || 0.6 || 13.3 || 9.2 || 22.5 || 5.6 || 2.3

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2001

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 25 || 26 || 22 || 381 || 210 || 591 || 149 || 51 || 1.0 || 0.9 || 15.2 || 8.4 || 23.6 || 6.0 || 2.0

|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2002

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 22 || 18 || 17 || 334 || 171 || 505 || 125 || 63 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 15.2 || 7.8 || 23.0 || 5.7 || 2.9

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2003

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 22 || 12 || 9 || 300 || 181 || 481 || 128 || 74 || 0.5 || 0.4 || 13.6 || 8.2 || 21.9 || 5.8 || 3.4

|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2004

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 21 || 9 || 6 || 345 || 177 || 522 || 128 || 51 || 0.4 || 0.3 || 16.4 || 8.4 || 24.9 || 6.1 || 2.4

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2005

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 22 || 7 || 5 || 324 || 188 || 512 || 131 || 38 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 14.7 || 8.5 || 23.3 || 6.0 || 1.7

|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2006

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 21 || 3 || 0 || 326 || 169 || 495 || 133 || 37 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 15.5 || 8.0 || 23.6 || 6.3 || 1.8

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2007

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 22 || 3 || 2 || 329 || 220 || 549 || 179 || 38 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 15.0 || 10.0 || 25.0 || 8.1 || 1.7

|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2008

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 18 || 17 || 6 || 259 || 153 || 412 || 153 || 39 || 0.9 || 0.3 || 14.4 || 8.5 || 22.9 || 8.5 || 2.2

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 2009

|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}

| 11 || 12 || 3 || 1 || 195 || 101 || 296 || 84 || 20 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 16.3 || 8.4 || 24.7 || 7.0 || 1.7

|- class="sortbottom"

! colspan=3| Career

! 265

! 174

! 124

! 3665

! 2176

! 5841

! 1546

! 560

! 0.7

! 0.5

! 13.8

! 8.2

! 22.0

! 5.8

! 2.1

|}

• Richmond Best and Fairest 2004, 2005
• All-Australian 2005, 2006
• International Rules 2004
• 100 Tiger Treasures "Goal of the Century" Nominee (2008)

In 2018, Bowden was appointed general secretary of Unions NT, the peak body for the labour movement in the Northern Territory.{{cite news|url=https://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/jspui/bitstream/10070/301447/17/Northern%20Territory%20News_20180721_page13_NTNews_News_13.PDF|title=Bowden to carry the banner for Unions NT|first=Ashley|last=Manicaros|newspaper=Northern Territory News|date=21 July 2018|access-date=1 March 2020}}

{{NT parlbox header}}

{{NT parlbox|term=13th|start=2020|end=2020|party=Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory Branch)|electorate=Johnston}}

{{NT parlbox|term=14th|start={{NT election link|2020}}|end=2024|party=Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory Branch)|electorate=Johnston}}

|}

In February 2020, Bowden ran for and won the 2020 Johnston by-election to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.

In the 2024 Northern Territory general election, he was unseated by independent candidate Justine Davis.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-25 |title=Johnston - NT Electorate, Candidates, Results |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/nt/2024/guide/john |access-date=2024-08-25 |website=abc.net.au |language=en-AU}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Richplayer|ref=13442}}
• {{AFL Tables|ref=J/Joel_Bowden.html}}

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{{s-par|au-nt}}

{{s-bef|before=Ken Vowles }}

{{s-ttl|title=Member for Johnston |years=2020–present}}

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{{NTCurrentMPs}}

{{Jack Dyer Medal}}

{{Northern Territory Team of the Century}}

{{2005 All-Australian team}}

{{2006 All-Australian team}}

{{2001 Australian international rules team}}

{{2004 Australian international rules team}}

{{1998 The Allies State of Origin players}}

{{1997 AFL Rising Star nominees}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowden, Joel}}

Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:Richmond Football Club players

Category:All-Australians (AFL)

Category:Jack Dyer Medal winners

Category:Australian rules footballers from the Northern Territory

Category:Allies State of Origin players

Category:Australia international rules football team players

Category:Members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly

Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly

Category:21st-century Australian politicians

Category:Australian sportsperson-politicians

Category:Sportspeople from Alice Springs