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|name = Paul Bowman
|name = Paul Bowman
|fullname = Paul Jenkins Bowman
|fullname = Paul Jenkins Bowman
|nickname = Bear<ref>[http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/20/3940_hpsport.html "Bear marks time"] 20 June 2007 ''[[The Townsville Bulletin]]''</ref>
|family = Anna Harris (Cousin)
|image = BowmanPaul07.jpg
|image = BowmanPaul07.jpg
|caption = <small>Bowman in 2007</small>
|caption = <small>Bowman in 2007</small>
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'''Paul Jenkins Bowman''' (born 24 January 1976) is an Australian former professional [[rugby league]] footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He spent five years as regular Queensland State of Origin {{rlp|ce}} and played his entire club career at the [[North Queensland Cowboys]] in the [[National Rugby League]], whom he also captained. He later worked with the Cowboys as an assistant coach.<ref name="Cowboys name Paul Bowman as assistant coach">{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/nrl/story/0,27074,23760070-14823,00.html|title=Cowboys name Paul Bowman as assistant coach|newspaper=Herald Sun|date=26 May 2008|accessdate=26 May 2008| first1=Todd| last1=Balym| first2=Ben| last2=Galvin}}</ref>
'''Paul Bowman''' (born 24 January 1976) is an Australian former professional [[rugby league]] footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A [[Queensland Maroons|Queensland]] [[State of Origin series|State of Origin]] representative {{rlp|ce}}, he played his entire club career for the [[North Queensland Cowboys]] in the [[National Rugby League]], whom he also captained.

Throughout his 13-year career, he was considered one of the best defensive centres in the NRL.<ref>https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-07-05/bowman-return-strengthens-cowboys-flanks/90502</ref> He is currently the Head of Sports Science at the Cowboys.<ref>https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2018/10/09/cowboys-appoint-new-head-of-performance/</ref>

==Background==
Born in [[Newcastle, New South Wales]] while his father worked as a [[veterinarian]] in the city, Bowman and his family moved to [[Proserpine, Queensland]] when he was one-year old.<ref>https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/cowboys/former-cowboys-centre-paul-bowman-reflects-on-the-2005-grand-final/news-story/81db771487deaa9be0530c37de208dd8</ref> He played his junior rugby league for the Proserpine Brahmans and later attended [[St. Brendan's College, Yeppoon]].<ref>http://websites.sportstg.com/club_info.cgi?client=7-2237-48490-0-0&sID=135839&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=8984685</ref><ref>https://www.stbrendans.qld.edu.au/gunning-has-big-shoes-to-fill-as-he-leads-sbc-at-confraternity-in-bundaberg/</ref>


==Playing career==
==Playing career==
In 1994, Bowman signed with the newly-established [[North Queensland Cowboys]] after being spotted by head coach [[Grant Bell]] playing for Proserpine.<ref>https://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/news/big-star-returns-for-anniversary/3056876/</ref> In Round 16 of the [[1995 ARL season]], he made his first grade debut for the Cowboys, starting at centre in their 16–30 loss to the [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]]. He scored his first try for the club three weeks later in a 6–22 loss to the [[South Queensland Crushers]]. He finished his rookie season one try in seven games. Bowman played just six games in [[1996 North Queensland Cowboys season|1996]], starting each at centre and scoring two tries.
Bowman was born in [[Newcastle, New South Wales]]. The [[1995 ARL season]] was the first for the newly created Cowboys and Bowman made his debut for the club that year. Bowman was named the Cowboys' player of the year in 1999 and the following year he shared the award with [[Julian O'Neill]]<ref>[http://www.cowboys.com.au/default.aspx?s=honours Honours] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012233017/http://www.cowboys.com.au/default.aspx?s=honours |date=12 October 2011 }} at ''cowboys.com.au''</ref> Bowman captained the Cowboy's between 2001 and 2004. In game 1 of the [[2003 State of Origin series]] Bowman suffered medial ligament and cartilage damage to his left knee in an awkward tackle that would see him sidelined for four weeks. Remarkably however, despite being unable to walk, he stayed on the field as long as possible, still managing to make several tackles before getting a chance to leave the field. He scored two tries in game III of the [[2001 State of Origin series]].


In 1997, he played 10 games and scored two tries and in 1998, played just the first six games before missing the rest of the season through injury. In 1999, Bowman played 16 games for the club, the majority of those at {{rlp|lk}}, and was named the club's Player of the Year.
Bowman played at centre in the Cowboys' loss to the [[Wests Tigers]] in the [[2005 NRL grand final]]. Bowman retired at the end of the 2007 season, ending a 13-year career with the Cowboys.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=''Fox Sports news (Australia)''|title=Bowman flags retirement plans|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,,21845916-23214,00.html|accessdate=16 November 2007|date=4 July 2007}}</ref> Bowman played his last regular season game on 31 August against the [[Bulldogs (NRL team)|Bulldogs]] in Townsville. With 203 games, Bowman retired having played the most games for the Cowboys and was the last player from the Cowboys' inaugural season to be still playing for the club. Renowned as one of the best defensive [[Rugby league positions#Centre|centres]] in the competition, Bowman also represented [[Queensland Maroons|Queensland]] in the [[Rugby League State of Origin|State of Origin]] competition twelve times between 2000 and 2005.


In 2000, Bowman had a breakout season in which he started 20 games at centre, scoring eight tries, and was named the Cowboys' Player of the Year, an award he shared with [[Julian O'Neill]].<ref>{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012233017/http://www.cowboys.com.au/default.aspx?s=honours |date=12 October 2011}} at ''cowboys.com.au''</ref> In May, he made his [[State of Origin series|State of Origin]] debut for [[Queensland Maroons|Queensland]], becoming the club's second Queensland representative and their first homegrown Queensland player.
In 2007, the Cowboys announced that the ''Cowboy of the Year'' award would be renamed the ''Paul Bowman Award.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/our-pick-of-the-best-cowboys-over-the-clubs-20-year-history/news-story/9ced3d6df25c035e862d30a248038a58|title=Our pick of the best cowboys over the clubs 20 year history|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=3 February 2017}}</ref>


In 2001, he became the captain of the Cowboys, a role he would hold until 2004. He played 25 games that season, scoring 12 tries, and once again represented Queensland. In Game 3 of the [[2001 State of Origin series]], he scored two tries in Queensland's series-deciding win over New South Wales. In 2002, Bowman missed the start of the season through injury, returning in Round 10 to play 14 games and score 10 tries. In Round 21, he played his 100th game for the club, becoming the second player to do so.<ref>https://thebulldogs.com.au/sportal.php?page=match_results&id=1417</ref>
The ''Paul Bowman Medal'' is awarded to each year's best and fairest A-grade player for the Whitsunday Brahmans, Bowman's junior club in [[North Queensland]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=''Queensland Rugby League''|title=Bowman Puts Name to Whitsunday Medal|url=http://www.qrl.com.au/display.php?pg_id=1425|accessdate=16 November 2007|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015802/http://www.qrl.com.au/display.php?pg_id=1425 <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archivedate = 28 September 2007}}</ref>


In 2003, he played 16 games, scoring three tries. In Game 1 of the [[2003 State of Origin series]], one minute after coming off the bench, he suffered medial ligament and cartilage damage to his left knee in a tackle that would see him sidelined for four weeks. Remarkably, despite being unable to walk, he stayed on the field as long, managing to make several tackles before getting a chance to leave the field.
===Statistics===

{{Col-begin}}
In 2004, Bowman began the season as the Cowboys' captain before being replaced by new recruit [[Travis Norton]] in Round 7. He played 21 games that season and played in the finals for the first time as the Cowboys finished 7th on the ladder, their highest ever finish at the time.<ref>https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-04-21/bowman-makes-way-for-norton-as-cowboys-skipper/173442</ref> He started two games at centre for Queensland in the [[2004 State of Origin series]].
{{Col-2}}

'''Club'''
In 2005, he played 25 games, scoring nine tries, and started at centre for Queensland in all three games of the [[2005 State of Origin series]]. On 2 October 2005, he started at centre in the Cowboys' [[2005 NRL Grand Final]] loss to the [[Wests Tigers]].<ref>https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/12/16/2005-grand-final-rewind-magical-wests-tigers-stun-north-queensland-cowboys/</ref> Following the season, he won the club's Players' Player award. In 2006, he played just 16 games, scoring three tries, in a season plagued by a neck injury.<ref>https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/bowman-may-retire-because-of-neck-injury-20060808-gdo4ke.html</ref>
{| class="wikitable"

On 3 June 2007, Bowman announced that he would retire at the end of the [[2007 NRL season]].<ref>https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-06-04/bowman-set-to-announce-retirement-plans/58292</ref> On 30 August, the club announced that their Player of the Year award would be renamed the Paul Bowman Medal in his honour.<ref>https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/bowmans-name-to-live-on-at-cowboys-20070830-gdqzjv.html</ref> In Round 25, he became the first player to play 200 games for the Cowboys in their 38–32 win over the [[Canterbury Bulldogs]].<ref>https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/original-cowboy-rides-off/story-e6frep5x-1111114250986?sv=cc5fd8858a49cc215a28d14863f6b95</ref>

He played his final home game for the club in a 49–12 semi final win over the [[New Zealand Warriors|Warriors]], kicking the first goal of his career.<ref>https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-09-16/cowboys-maul-warriors/672096</ref> He ended his first grade career as the last Cowboys foundation player to retire, playing 203 games for the club over 13 seasons.

==Post-playing career==
In 2008, Bowman began a part-time assistant coaching role with the Cowboys [[NRL Under-20s|under-20]] side. Later that season, he moved up to a full-time assistant coaching role with the club's NRL squad, signing until the end of the 2010 season.<ref>https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/cowboy-bowman-tackles-new-role/news-story/ac817332feeb9978ace8973887a7a5de</ref> In 2011, he became the club's High Performance Manager, a role he held until the 2018 season.<ref>https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/north-queensland-cowboys-under-new-sports-science-fitness-program-introduced-by-paul-bowman/news-story/548ef6ef19140c665c6cb09195e29f34?sv=d7c1e40f8a658a6cd85ee4263a644081</ref>

On 17 May 2015, Bowman was named at centre in the Cowboys 20-year team and, alongside[[Matt Sing]], was an inaugural inductee to the Cowboys' Hall of Fame.<ref>https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2015/05/17/our-first-hall-of-fame-inductees/</ref><ref>https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2015/05/17/introducing-your-20-year-team/</ref>

On 9 October 2018, he was named the Cowboys' Head of Sports Science.<ref>https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2018/10/09/cowboys-appoint-new-head-of-performance/</ref>

==Achievements and accolades==
===Individual===
'''[[List of North Queensland Cowboys honours#Club awards|North Queensland Cowboys Player of the Year]]:''' 1999, 2000<br>
'''[[List of North Queensland Cowboys honours#Club awards|North Queensland Cowboys Players' Player]]:''' 2005

==Statistics==
===NRL===
: ''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2007 season''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/paul-bowman/summary.html|title=Paul Bowman - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project|first=Shawn Dollin and Andrew|last=Ferguson|website=Rugbyleagueproject.org|accessdate=19 September 2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center; width:85%;"
|-
|-
!width=2%|Season
! Year !! Team !! M !! T !! G !! FG !! P
!width=8%|Team
!width=2%|Matches
!width=2%|T
!width=2%|G
!width=2%|GK %
!width=2%|F/G
!width=2%|Pts
|-
|-
| [[1995 North Queensland Cowboys season|1995]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 7|| 1|| 0|| 0|| 4
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[1995 North Queensland Cowboys season|1995]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 7|| 1|| 0|| —|| 0|| 4
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[1996 North Queensland Cowboys season|1996]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 6|| 2|| 0|| —|| 0|| 8
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[1997 North Queensland Cowboys season|1997]]
| [[1996 North Queensland Cowboys season|1996]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 6|| 2|| 0|| 0|| 8
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 10|| 2|| 0|| —|| 0|| 8
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[1998 North Queensland Cowboys season|1998]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 6|| 1|| 0|| —|| 0|| 4
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[1999 North Queensland Cowboys season|1999]]
| [[1997 North Queensland Cowboys season|1997]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 10|| 2|| 0|| 0|| 8
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 16|| 2|| 0|| —|| 0|| 8
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2000 North Queensland Cowboys season|2000]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 20|| 8|| 0|| —|| 0|| 32
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2001 North Queensland Cowboys season|2001]]
| [[1998 North Queensland Cowboys season|1998]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 6|| 1|| 0|| 0|| 4
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 25|| 12|| 0|| —|| 0|| 48
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2002 North Queensland Cowboys season|2002]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 14|| 10|| 0|| —|| 0|| 40
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2003 North Queensland Cowboys season|2003]]
| [[1999 North Queensland Cowboys season|1999]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 16|| 2|| 0|| 0|| 8
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 16|| 3|| 0|| —|| 0|| 12
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2004 North Queensland Cowboys season|2004]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 21|| 4|| 0|| —|| 0|| 16
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2005 North Queensland Cowboys season|2005]]
| [[2000 North Queensland Cowboys season|2000]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 20|| 8|| 0|| 0|| 32
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
|-
| 25|| 9|| 0|| —|| 0|| 36
| [[2001 North Queensland Cowboys season|2001]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 25|| 12|| 0|| 0|| 48
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2006 North Queensland Cowboys season|2006]]
| [[2002 North Queensland Cowboys season|2002]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 14|| 10|| 0|| 0|| 40
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
|-
| 16|| 3|| 0|| —|| 0|| 12
| [[2003 North Queensland Cowboys season|2003]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 16|| 3|| 0|| 0|| 12
|-
| [[2004 North Queensland Cowboys season|2004]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 21|| 4|| 0|| 0|| 16
|-
| [[2005 North Queensland Cowboys season|2005]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 25|| 9|| 0|| 0|| 36
|-
| [[2006 North Queensland Cowboys season|2006]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 16|| 3|| 0|| 0|| 12
|-
| [[2007 North Queensland Cowboys season|2007]]||[[File:North Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[North Queensland Cowboys]]|| 21|| 5|| 1|| 0|| 22
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2007 North Queensland Cowboys season|2007]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} [[North Queensland Cowboys|North Queensland]]
| 21|| 5|| 1|| 100%|| 0|| 22
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan=2| Career totals
! 203
! 62
! 1
! 100%
! 0
! 250
|}
|}
{{Col-2}}
'''Representative'''


===State of Origin===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
| style="background:#f9f025; width:3em;"|†
! Year !! Team !! M !! T !! G !! FG !! P
|Denotes seasons in which Bowman won a [[State of Origin series|State of Origin Series]]
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center; width:85%;"
|-
|-
!width=2%|Season
| [[2000 State of Origin series|2000]]||[[File:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[Queensland State of Origin|Queensland]]|| 3|| 0|| 0|| 0|| 0
!width=8%|Team
!width=2%|Matches
!width=2%|T
!width=2%|G
!width=2%|GK %
!width=2%|F/G
!width=2%|Pts
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2000 State of Origin series|2000]]
| [[2001 State of Origin series|2001]]||[[File:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[Queensland State of Origin|Queensland]]|| 3|| 2|| 0|| 0|| 8
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|Queensland|16}} [[Queensland rugby league team|Queensland]]
| 3|| 0|| 0|| —|| 0|| 0
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;background:#f9f025; font-weight:normal"| [[2001 State of Origin series|2001]]†
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|Queensland|16}} [[Queensland rugby league team|Queensland]]
| 3|| 2|| 0|| —|| 0|| 8
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2003 State of Origin series|2003]]
| [[2003 State of Origin series|2003]]||[[File:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[Queensland State of Origin|Queensland]]|| 1|| 0|| 0|| 0|| 0
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|Queensland|16}} [[Queensland rugby league team|Queensland]]
|-
| 1|| 0|| 0|| —|| 0|| 0
| [[2004 State of Origin series|2004]]||[[File:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[Queensland State of Origin|Queensland]]|| 2|| 0|| 0|| 0|| 0
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2004 State of Origin series|2004]]
| [[2005 State of Origin series|2005]]||[[File:Queensland colours.svg|16px]] [[Queensland State of Origin|Queensland]]|| 3|| 0|| 0|| 0|| 0
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|Queensland|16}} [[Queensland rugby league team|Queensland]]
| 2|| 0|| 0|| —|| 0|| 0
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal"| [[2005 State of Origin series|2005]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{leagueicon|Queensland|16}} [[Queensland rugby league team|Queensland]]
| 3|| 0|| 0|| —|| 0|| 0
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan=2| Career totals
! 12
! 2
! 0
! —
! 0
! 8
|}
|}
{{Col-end}}

===Highlights===
* ''First Grade Debut:'' 1995, Round 16, Cowboys v [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]] at [[Sydney Football Stadium|Aussie Stadium]], 15 July
* ''Runners-up:'' 2005, member of the Cowboy's team defeated by the [[Wests Tigers]] in the [[National Rugby League season 2005#Grand final|2005 Grand Final]]

===Awards and honours===
*[[National Rugby League season 1999|1999]]: North Queensland Cowboys ''Player of the Year''
*[[National Rugby League season 2000|2000]]: North Queensland Cowboys ''Player of the Year''
*[[National Rugby League season 2005|2005]]: North Queensland ''Player's Player of the Year''
*2006: North Queensland Cowboys ''Life Membership'' <small>(Bowman was the first person to be awarded life membership of the North Queensland Cowboys)</small>

==Post playing==
Following the departure of [[Graham Murray]], assistant coach [[Ian Millward]] was named head coach. On 26 May 2008, Bowman was named assistant coach in a deal to the end of 2010.


==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
Line 120: Line 200:


{{North Queensland Cowboys captains}}
{{North Queensland Cowboys captains}}
{{North Queensland Cowboys Life Members}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Paul}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Paul}}

Revision as of 13:43, 18 September 2019

Paul Bowman
Bowman in 2007
Personal information
Full namePaul Jenkins Bowman
Born (1976-01-24) 24 January 1976 (age 48)
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight98 kg (15 st 6 lb; 216 lb)
PositionCentre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1995–07 North Qld Cowboys 203 62 1 0 250
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2000–05 Queensland 12 2 0 0 8
Source: [1][2][3]

Paul Bowman (born 24 January 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin representative centre, he played his entire club career for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League, whom he also captained.

Throughout his 13-year career, he was considered one of the best defensive centres in the NRL.[4] He is currently the Head of Sports Science at the Cowboys.[5]

Background

Born in Newcastle, New South Wales while his father worked as a veterinarian in the city, Bowman and his family moved to Proserpine, Queensland when he was one-year old.[6] He played his junior rugby league for the Proserpine Brahmans and later attended St. Brendan's College, Yeppoon.[7][8]

Playing career

In 1994, Bowman signed with the newly-established North Queensland Cowboys after being spotted by head coach Grant Bell playing for Proserpine.[9] In Round 16 of the 1995 ARL season, he made his first grade debut for the Cowboys, starting at centre in their 16–30 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He scored his first try for the club three weeks later in a 6–22 loss to the South Queensland Crushers. He finished his rookie season one try in seven games. Bowman played just six games in 1996, starting each at centre and scoring two tries.

In 1997, he played 10 games and scored two tries and in 1998, played just the first six games before missing the rest of the season through injury. In 1999, Bowman played 16 games for the club, the majority of those at lock, and was named the club's Player of the Year.

In 2000, Bowman had a breakout season in which he started 20 games at centre, scoring eight tries, and was named the Cowboys' Player of the Year, an award he shared with Julian O'Neill.[10] In May, he made his State of Origin debut for Queensland, becoming the club's second Queensland representative and their first homegrown Queensland player.

In 2001, he became the captain of the Cowboys, a role he would hold until 2004. He played 25 games that season, scoring 12 tries, and once again represented Queensland. In Game 3 of the 2001 State of Origin series, he scored two tries in Queensland's series-deciding win over New South Wales. In 2002, Bowman missed the start of the season through injury, returning in Round 10 to play 14 games and score 10 tries. In Round 21, he played his 100th game for the club, becoming the second player to do so.[11]

In 2003, he played 16 games, scoring three tries. In Game 1 of the 2003 State of Origin series, one minute after coming off the bench, he suffered medial ligament and cartilage damage to his left knee in a tackle that would see him sidelined for four weeks. Remarkably, despite being unable to walk, he stayed on the field as long, managing to make several tackles before getting a chance to leave the field.

In 2004, Bowman began the season as the Cowboys' captain before being replaced by new recruit Travis Norton in Round 7. He played 21 games that season and played in the finals for the first time as the Cowboys finished 7th on the ladder, their highest ever finish at the time.[12] He started two games at centre for Queensland in the 2004 State of Origin series.

In 2005, he played 25 games, scoring nine tries, and started at centre for Queensland in all three games of the 2005 State of Origin series. On 2 October 2005, he started at centre in the Cowboys' 2005 NRL Grand Final loss to the Wests Tigers.[13] Following the season, he won the club's Players' Player award. In 2006, he played just 16 games, scoring three tries, in a season plagued by a neck injury.[14]

On 3 June 2007, Bowman announced that he would retire at the end of the 2007 NRL season.[15] On 30 August, the club announced that their Player of the Year award would be renamed the Paul Bowman Medal in his honour.[16] In Round 25, he became the first player to play 200 games for the Cowboys in their 38–32 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs.[17]

He played his final home game for the club in a 49–12 semi final win over the Warriors, kicking the first goal of his career.[18] He ended his first grade career as the last Cowboys foundation player to retire, playing 203 games for the club over 13 seasons.

Post-playing career

In 2008, Bowman began a part-time assistant coaching role with the Cowboys under-20 side. Later that season, he moved up to a full-time assistant coaching role with the club's NRL squad, signing until the end of the 2010 season.[19] In 2011, he became the club's High Performance Manager, a role he held until the 2018 season.[20]

On 17 May 2015, Bowman was named at centre in the Cowboys 20-year team and, alongsideMatt Sing, was an inaugural inductee to the Cowboys' Hall of Fame.[21][22]

On 9 October 2018, he was named the Cowboys' Head of Sports Science.[23]

Achievements and accolades

Individual

North Queensland Cowboys Player of the Year: 1999, 2000
North Queensland Cowboys Players' Player: 2005

Statistics

NRL

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2007 season[24]
Season Team Matches T G GK % F/G Pts
1995 North Queensland 7 1 0 — 0 4
1996 North Queensland 6 2 0 — 0 8
1997 North Queensland 10 2 0 — 0 8
1998 North Queensland 6 1 0 — 0 4
1999 North Queensland 16 2 0 — 0 8
2000 North Queensland 20 8 0 — 0 32
2001 North Queensland 25 12 0 — 0 48
2002 North Queensland 14 10 0 — 0 40
2003 North Queensland 16 3 0 — 0 12
2004 North Queensland 21 4 0 — 0 16
2005 North Queensland 25 9 0 — 0 36
2006 North Queensland 16 3 0 — 0 12
2007 North Queensland 21 5 1 100% 0 22
Career totals 203 62 1 100% 0 250

State of Origin

† Denotes seasons in which Bowman won a State of Origin Series
Season Team Matches T G GK % F/G Pts
2000 Queensland 3 0 0 — 0 0
2001† Queensland 3 2 0 — 0 8
2003 Queensland 1 0 0 — 0 0
2004 Queensland 2 0 0 — 0 0
2005 Queensland 3 0 0 — 0 0
Career totals 12 2 0 — 0 8

Footnotes

  1. ^ Rugby League Project
  2. ^ NRL Stats[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ Yesterdays Hero Archived 3 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-07-05/bowman-return-strengthens-cowboys-flanks/90502
  5. ^ https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2018/10/09/cowboys-appoint-new-head-of-performance/
  6. ^ https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/cowboys/former-cowboys-centre-paul-bowman-reflects-on-the-2005-grand-final/news-story/81db771487deaa9be0530c37de208dd8
  7. ^ http://websites.sportstg.com/club_info.cgi?client=7-2237-48490-0-0&sID=135839&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=8984685
  8. ^ https://www.stbrendans.qld.edu.au/gunning-has-big-shoes-to-fill-as-he-leads-sbc-at-confraternity-in-bundaberg/
  9. ^ https://www.whitsundaytimes.com.au/news/big-star-returns-for-anniversary/3056876/
  10. ^ Archived 12 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine at cowboys.com.au
  11. ^ https://thebulldogs.com.au/sportal.php?page=match_results&id=1417
  12. ^ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-04-21/bowman-makes-way-for-norton-as-cowboys-skipper/173442
  13. ^ https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/12/16/2005-grand-final-rewind-magical-wests-tigers-stun-north-queensland-cowboys/
  14. ^ https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/bowman-may-retire-because-of-neck-injury-20060808-gdo4ke.html
  15. ^ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-06-04/bowman-set-to-announce-retirement-plans/58292
  16. ^ https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/bowmans-name-to-live-on-at-cowboys-20070830-gdqzjv.html
  17. ^ https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/original-cowboy-rides-off/story-e6frep5x-1111114250986?sv=cc5fd8858a49cc215a28d14863f6b95
  18. ^ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-09-16/cowboys-maul-warriors/672096
  19. ^ https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/cowboy-bowman-tackles-new-role/news-story/ac817332feeb9978ace8973887a7a5de
  20. ^ https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/north-queensland-cowboys-under-new-sports-science-fitness-program-introduced-by-paul-bowman/news-story/548ef6ef19140c665c6cb09195e29f34?sv=d7c1e40f8a658a6cd85ee4263a644081
  21. ^ https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2015/05/17/our-first-hall-of-fame-inductees/
  22. ^ https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2015/05/17/introducing-your-20-year-team/
  23. ^ https://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2018/10/09/cowboys-appoint-new-head-of-performance/
  24. ^ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Paul Bowman - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
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