Sean Bowden's 19 year old son, Michael, is playing in the NEAFL this year for Northern Territory Thunder.
Thunder to unveil next generation of football family12.02.2015
By: JESS WEBSTER
neafl.com.auNT THUNDER will unveil the next generation of a proud football family this season when Michael Bowden makes his senior NEAFL debut.
The 19-year-old is named after his grandfather Michael, who was a member of Richmond’s 1969 premiership side.
His two uncles Joel and Patrick, and father Sean, have all represented the Tigers at AFL level.
The young defender returned home to Darwin from Melbourne late last year after attending boarding school at Caulfield Grammar and one year at university studying environmental biology.
As one of the most exciting young players in the NTFL for Southern Districts, Bowden’s left foot kick is one of his biggest weapons aswell as his running capacity.
In his very first training session with NT Thunder, he ran a 14.8 on the beep test, finishing equal first at the club with Chris Dunne.
“It was definitely a no-brainer to sign with NT Thunder,” Bowden said.
“It was my goal when I started the NTFL season to do as best as I could and hopefully get signed. When they offered me a contract I was over the moon.”
The club hopes Bowden can fill the void left by two-time NEAFL Rising Star nominee Errin Wasley-Black, who left Darwin to join SANFL club West Adelaide.
Bowden represented the Territory as an over-age player at last year’s National Under-18 Championships while playing football for Caulfield in the VAFA, and wants to take his game to the next level this year.
“(The demands) are full on - there is no time to muck around. Playing against the AFL Reserve teams is a bit daunting but it will be a good experience and hopefully I’ll be able to develop from it.
“I want to be the best I can and try and keep my spot in the side and become a reliable player out of the backline.”
Bowden has plenty of family support around him in Darwin, in particular uncle Joel who remains passionate about Territory football.
The 265-game AFL player, two-time All-Australian and past president of the AFL Players Association joined AFLNT as its new stakeholder manager late last year.
Bowden has taken a gap year in his studies to focus on his football in the hopes of emulating his family’s success at AFL level.
“My family has been a big influence on me to go as far as I can and do my best,” he said.
“Any young kid that has half a chance would dream of playing AFL.
“My dad is very proud. We sat down and had a bit of a chat about what I wanted to get out of this year. He is happy and so are my uncles, so I can't wait to get stuck into it.”
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