Let me clarify a couple of points before I give you my $0.02. Firstly yes I play supercoach and yes I selected Bowden on my team, he is currently warming bench with N.J.Brown stepping into the 22. Secondly yes I know the Eagles are struggling and we have a few rookies and no name players currently playing in the side.
Ok. Well **** me sideways if Bowden isn't in your best 18 let alone your best 22. I'm sure most of you watched the game on the weekend. Fremantle played like a large steaming pile of monkey poo. Your Coburg Tigers would have probably beaten them.
I've watched a few Richmond games this year, including the game against Collingwood. Bowden is not suited to play on Medhurst. Medhurst requires a close checking defender who will lock him down. Bowden likes to play loose and wide and loves running off his man. In another game TW had him playing as a tagger in midfield. WTF? Bowden has been one of the champions of your club for a long period of time. Sure good players need to perform to keep their spot and need a kick up the bum but they should be given more of a chance to prove thmselves. Look at Gilbee from the Doggies. Been in poor form but the club stands by him and he is running back into some form. Same deal with BJ. The guy has been useless but there is no way in hell Eade would drop BJ to the 2s.
Btw why wasn't Nathan Brown dropped prior to last week? He has been doing sweet **** all prior to last week and IMO has been more useless than Bowden.
Dropping Bowden for a week may or may not have been a good idea. However he has gone back, played a good game and should be included in the side. If any of you believe that Bowden isn't better than most of the 22 players you had on the park then you're dellusional.
Good post. I agree with most of what you're saying. Not sure how some posters on here think they "know" about attitudes around a club, for good or bad. I thought match-ups killed him in the first couple weeks too. As a half forward in Rnd one and then as a run-with type were terrible decisions. And the Medhurst match-up was terrible, especially considering Joel's excellent record on Rocca.
BTW dude, what is with the shit about he was tried further up the field this year but it didnt work? Which one didnt it work in?
Natural defender? Bwahaaahaaa, Bowden is one of the most unaccountable defenders to play footy. What have you been watching?
I'm also completely convinced that Cogga Rules has not watched us play for about five years. As mentioned above. Bowden started the first two games at HF and mid respectively, with disastrous results, then performed well when switched back in the second half of both of those games.
As for the unaccountable defender comment, mate, you're an idiot. He was dual AA for more than just getting 30 touches a week. During Gas's knee injury and recovery he was consistently taking the opposition's number one forward and still providing rebound and controlling our back half. He consistently kept "gun" forwards including Lloyd, Rocca, Johnson and Lynch to very moderate possession and goal tallies.





