Jack Bowes

Jack Bowes
Bowes playing for Gold Coast in 2018
Personal information
Full name Jack Bowes
Born (1998-01-26) 26 January 1998 (age 28)
Cairns, Queensland
Original team Surfers Paradise (QAFL)
Draft No. 10, 2016 national draft
Height 187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 85 kg (187 lb)
Position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Essendon
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2017–2022 Gold Coast 83 (14)
2023–2026 Geelong 69 (39)
2027– Essendon 0 (0)
Total 152 (53)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2026 season.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Jack Bowes (born 26 January 1998) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Gold Coast Suns from 2017 to 2022 and the Geelong Football Club from 2023 to 2026.

Early life

Bowes was born and raised in Cairns, Queensland and attended St Augustine's College. His parents, originally from Victoria decided to move there shortly before he was born. His great uncle, Bill Bowes, was an international English cricketer who famously bowled Don Bradman on the first ball in the 1932–33 Ashes series. Jack began playing junior football with the Manunda Hawks Australian Football club before moving to the Cairns Saints Football Club in the AFL Cairns competition. As a junior, he was a standout and was placed in the Gold Coast Suns Academy at the age of thirteen. In 2014, he made his senior debut for Cairns Saints as a sixteen year old and went on to play in a losing AFL Cairns seniors grand final that year where he managed a goal in a sixteen-point loss to Port Douglas. He grew up supporting St Kilda.

He made the decision to relocate to the Gold Coast at the beginning of 2015 to increase his chances of being drafted. There he continued playing football for the Surfers Paradise Demons in the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL) as well as Gold Coast's reserves team in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL). His 2015 NEAFL debut for the Gold Coast reserves included twenty-two disposals and one goal. He was selected to represent the under 17 AFL academy team in the 2015 AFL Grand Final curtain raiser and shone in a sixteen possession performance. He also completed his schooling in 2015 at All Saints Anglican School.

Bowes entered the final year of his junior football in 2016 and was predicted by many analysts to be selected with the first pick in the 2016 AFL draft. Bowes was named captain of the Queensland team that would compete in the 2016 division two AFL Under 18 Championships and led the team to several victories, the best being against Northern Territory. His performances in the championships saw him rewarded with the Hunter Harrison Medal as the best division two player.

Bowes was then selected to captain the Allies in the division one championships and was named in the 2016 under 18 All-Australian team as a result of his performances for the Allies. He was also chosen to represent team Judd in the 2016 all stars under-18 clash at Punt Road Oval, where he amassed twenty-three disposals.

AFL career

Bowes was recruited by the Gold Coast Football Club with their fourth selection and tenth overall in the 2016 national draft; he was initially bid on by the Sydney Swans, but Gold Coast matched the bid.

In 2019, Bowes started with a run with role player. He put down players like Fyfe and Cripps. Bowes had a quad injury in the middle of the season, but recovered from it. Jack Bowes averaged 18.3 disposals and 3.7 tackles.

In April 2019 Bowes kicked a goal in the final seconds of a match to snatch the lead from Carlton in what turned out as a 2 point victory for the Suns.

Bowes was traded to Geelong as part of a salary dump at the end of the 2022 AFL season. Bowes featured in Geelong's 2025 AFL Grand Final side, losing to the Brisbane Lions by 47 points.

After only managing nine senior appearances for the Cats in 2026, Bowes requested a trade to Essendon. Bowes was later a part of a trade which sent Jordan Ridley to Geelong along with pick No.60 and a 2028 fourth-round pick in exchange for Bowes, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick heading to Essendon.

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2026 season.

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2017Gold Coast29 1122766113732250.20.26.95.512.52.92.30
2018Gold Coast29 16451748525967370.30.310.95.316.24.22.30
2019Gold Coast3 156313913727653550.40.29.39.118.43.53.70
2020Gold Coast3 17101959529069300.10.011.55.617.14.11.80
2021Gold Coast3 19123079740497380.10.116.25.121.35.12.00
2022Gold Coast3 5005820781870.00.011.64.015.63.61.40
2023Geelong12 174615610526166400.20.49.26.215.43.92.40
2024Geelong12 22128254150404691040.50.411.56.818.43.14.74
2025Geelong12 2116518711129854590.80.28.95.314.22.62.80
2026Geelong12 976916715833220.80.710.17.417.63.72.40
Career 1525337163792825655584170.30.210.86.116.93.72.74

Notes

  1. ↑ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. ↑ Five talking points: Gold Coast v Brisbane
  2. ↑ Bowes ready for what the Draft holds
  3. ↑ AFL draft 2016: Gold Coast Suns academy prospect Jack Bowes 'ticking every box'
  4. ↑ "AFL draft 2016: Gold Coast Suns academy prospect Jack Bowes 'ticking every box'". amp.theage.com.au. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Gold Coast's Jack Bowes bowled over by his famous bloodlines
  6. ↑ Twomey, Callum (19 January 2016). "Suns set for academy win as top talent Bowes enters draft year". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  7. ↑ Walsh, Courtney (3 July 2020). "Homegrown Sun Jack Bowes ready to take on mentor Gary Ablett". The Australian. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  8. ↑ Gerrans, Jordan (24 November 2016). "Cairns product Jack Bowes seen as captain material". The Cairns Post. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "AFL season 2016: It's Gold Coast's turn to have a highly rated academy kid on the way. Meet Jack Bowes". amp.theage.com.au. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "The sacrifice pays off for Jack Bowes". foundation.goldcoastfc.com.au. Gold Coast Suns Foundation. 29 November 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  11. ↑ Twomey, Callum (3 October 2015). "Allies win over the NAB AFL Academy in Grand Final curtain-raiser". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  12. ↑ Blucher, Peter (7 July 2021). "Jack Bowes notches up a career high at Marvel". aflq.com.au. AFL Queensland. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Quayle, Emma (1 June 2016). "AFL draft: Who wants to be the No. 1 draft pick?". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  14. ↑ Landsberger, Sam (29 June 2016). "Essendon could drop draft bomb by bidding for academy player with No.1 draft pick". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  15. ↑ Doerre, Christopher (2 June 2016). "Knightmare's AFL Draft Wrap: Jack Bowes firms as possible No.1 pick". ESPN. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  16. ↑ Gaskin, Lee (14 May 2016). "U18s: Suns academy product Jack Bowes stars in big win". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  17. ↑ Twomey, Callum (30 June 2016). "Vic Metro dominates Under-18 All Australian side". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  18. ↑ Waterworth, Ben (30 June 2016). "Under 18s All-Australian team announced: Including Jack Graham, Hugh McCluggage, Jack Bowes". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  19. ↑ Turner, Kieron (6 October 2016). "Bowes optimistic ahead of November's draft". GCFC.com.au. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  20. ↑ Hamilton, Andrew (25 November 2016). "Jack Bowes is the first Queensland junior in a decade to be selected in the top 10 of the national draft". The Courier-Mail. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  21. ↑ Whiting, Michael (11 April 2019). "Jack Bowes bringing big midfielders down". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  22. ↑ Jackson, Zane (14 April 2019). "Last-gasp Suns break Carlton hearts in thriller". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  23. ↑ @AFL_House (11 October 2022). "Trade paperwork lodged" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ "Geelong v Brisbane". AFL Tables. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  25. ↑ writers, staff (1 October 2026). "Cats midfielder makes trade request amid rival interest". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  26. ↑ writers, staff (7 October 2026). "Cats secure defender, Bombers land utility in trade". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
  27. ↑ "Jack Bowes". AFL Tables. Retrieved 13 August 2026.