In the seventh of a special Bingle Recruitment Zone series on richmondfc.com.au, featuring 20 highlights from Richmond’s trade/draft history throughout the key months of October and November, we focus on talented father-son pick-up Joel Bowden.


One of the unsung heroes of Richmond’s 1969 premiership year was ruck-rover Michael Bowden.

He had taken over that important on-ball role from Alan ‘Bull’ Richardson, a star of the Tigers’ 1969 flag triumph, and been a key contributor in much the same way – winning contested possessions, then using slick handball to create opportunities for teammates.

Bowden also followed in Bull’s footsteps post his league football career, putting into practice what he’d learned throughout his time at Tigerland, under the astute coaching guidance of Tommy Hafey, at a host of suburban, country and interstate football clubs.

A stint as captain-coach of VFA club Camberwell was followed by a move to the Mildura region’s Sunraysia league, with Bowden taking over as captain-coach of Red Cliffs.   He later coached Mildura Imperials.

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Joel Bowden, the fourth son of Mike and Judy Bowden, was born during the family’s time in Mildura.

The Bowden family eventually shifted to Alice Springs, with Mike taking on further coaching responsibilities in the Central Australian League, and young Joel starting to learn, and love, the game like his father.

Oldest of the Bowden boys, Sean, was picked up by Richmond as a father-son selection in the 1988 National Draft, but his league career with the Tigers amounted to just six senior games.

Meanwhile, Joel Bowden was starting to make some very impressive progress on the football field . . .

In 1993, he represented Northern Territory in the Australian Schoolboys’ championships.  He subsequently was named in the All-Australian Schoolboys’ team, and won the J.L. Williams Medal for best player in the series.

Bowden represented Northern Territory for a second time in 1994, and again performed admirably.

The Tigers, having kept a close eye on Bowden’s football development for a while, then swooped on him at the 1995 National Draft table, securing his services as a father-son selection.

In Rhett Bartlett’s excellent book, ‘Richmond FC: A Century of League Football’, Bowden told of his recruitment by Richmond . . .

“I got to Richmond fortuitously, in my opinion.  I was in the wrong place for football, which was Alice Springs.  But I was recognised because of my father.  And because I was in Alice Springs, and the population of the Northern Territory was 80-100,000, I was able to get into representative football teams at national carnivals, which puts you in the eyes of the recruiting agents . . .

“I was lucky because the father-son rule meant that the club didn’t have to use (early) draft picks.  So I was fortunate that Richmond said they would take a punt on me.  At that stage we had seniors, reserves, supp. lists.  There were probably 50 guys at the club training and playing together and I was just another one.  In that sense I feel like I was lucky.  Because what I have seen now, so many guys have the talent or ability but they never get the opportunity . . .”

Bowden made his senior league debut for Richmond late in the 1996 season.

The following year, he showed some exciting glimpses of his considerable talent, playing as a half-forward, before suffering a broken collarbone.

A further setback with the shoulder in 1998, delayed Bowden’s progress with the Tigers.  But he cemented himself as a regular member of the Richmond side in 1999, playing every game, and the year after (2000), he finished third in the Jack Dyer Medal.  Consecutive fourth placings in the Club’s Best and Fairest followed in 2001-02.

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Bowden then captured back-to-back Jack Dyer Medals in 2004-05, which was fitting reward for the high level of performance he had managed to achieve on such a consistent basis.

The talented left-footer would continue to provide the Tigers with top-class value, in a variety of roles, up until his retirement in 2009.

Bowden’s total of 265 games places him in ninth place on the Club’s all-time games’ list.

Having started his league career up forward, Bowden subsequently had a good deal of success as a midfielder, before exerting significant influence as a rebounding defender in the latter years.

Throughout his illustrious league career, he combined remarkable durability, with versatility, football ‘smarts’, a cool temperament, plus plenty of all-round skill, to be an integral member of the Richmond side.


Richmond Recruiting Rewind series so far:
Tale of a titanic Tiger trade
Trio of Croweaters land at Tigerland
Matthew Richardson – Richo pickings for Tigers
Brendon Gale roars across Bass Strait
Wayne Campbell - from Golden Square to Yellow and Black
The Stewart-Barrot swap