Matt Bowen

Matt Bowen grew up at Hope Vale, north of Cooktown, where there was no organised rugby league competition.

But he was a rugby league fan from a young age, with the Roosters and Broncos his favourite sides. When he attended Abergowrie College near Ingham, he played team sport for the first time, and quickly developed into a star footballer, with the Cowboys signing him to a scholarship when he was 15.

During his time at Abergowrie, he was part of a (Brothers) Confraternity Shield winning side. 

He made his NRL debut against the Broncos in 2001 and that same year played halfback for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis.

He quickly became a household name, with his electrifying speed; acceleration; uncanny ball skills, and the knack of making the difficult seem easy.

In 2003, Bowen made his State of Origin debut for Queensland, off the bench. He played 10 games for the Maroons between 2003-2007, scoring four tries and being part of two series winning sides.

His intercept try in Game I of the 2005 series earned Queensland its first golden point win. The match went into extra time after Johnathan Thurston kicked a field goal to level the scores. Bowen intercepted a Brett Kimmorley pass, and raced away with a finger in the sky, to clinch victory.

In 2004, Bowen had played a key role in helping the Cowboys to their first NRL finals appearance.

He toured Britain and France with the Wayne Bennett coached Tri-Nations squad at the end of that season, playing his specialist fullback position in the Test against France, in Toulouse. He also played fullback in an international against the USA, on the way back to Australia, scoring three tries in the Kangaroos' victory.

In 2005, Thurston and Bowen formed a lethal combination at the Cowboys and helped take the club to their first NRL grand final, ultimately going down to Wests Tigers.

In 2007, Bowen was Rugby League Players' Association Player of the Year; Dally M fullback of the Year and Paul Bowman Medal winner as the Cowboys' best.

In subsequent seasons, he overcame knee and shoulder injuries, which would have ended the careers of lesser people, and had rattled up 270 NRL games by the time he said farewell to the Cowboys at the end of the 2013 season.

He still holds the record for the most tries for the Cowboys with 130 and most tries in a season with 22 in 2007. He scored a total of 597 points for the club, landing 130 goals and five field goals, to go along with his swag of tries.

I always dreamed of playing for Queensland, and that was my goal. It was an unbelievable experience.

Matt Bowen FOG #138

Bowen joined Wigan in England, and played in the 2014 and 2015 Super League grand finals, only to be on the losing side on both occasions.

In the 2015 grand final, he scored a try and kicked four goals in a 22-20 loss to Leeds.

Since his return to Australia, he has worked in community engagement with the Cowboys.