Central District legend Chris Gowans recalls the final game he and twin brother James played for the Bulldogs in 2012
Chris Gowans is a nine-time premiership hero at Central District. The 246-gamer has given a first person account of the last match he and twin brother James played for the Bulldogs – a fiery semi-final against North Adelaide.
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The Advertiser sports journalist Warren Partland sat down with nine-time premiership-winning Central District star Chris Gowans, who gave a first person recollection of his final game for the Bulldogs.
The 246-game champion ended his career with a first semi-final loss to North Adelaide at Football Park on September 23, 2012.
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CHRIS GOWANS – IN HIS OWN WORDS
How can we not forget our last game for the mighty Dogs?
We got smashed by North Adelaide and James (his twin brother) and I had a few issues with the umpires Michael Avon and Andrew Crosby, which was way out of character, really.
In the lead up to the game, James and myself were being managed in our final year and (coach) Roy (Laird) was playing us one on, one off.
We had won about four of our last 10 games and the team was struggling for form.
There were too many blokes not playing good footy.
North kicked with the wind in the first quarter and were three goals up.
Everything seemed to be going against us and any decision from the umpires which could have gone either way seemed to go with North.
Both of us were getting bloody frustrated and this being our last game, we played a bit stupid.
You could feel the game slipping away and North kicked another five goals to be 50 points up at halftime.
The game was basically over and we lost our marbles, probably James more so.
Every time went near the ball it felt like a free kick went against us.
It got more frustrating and frustrating and frustrating, and James definitely lost his marbles big time.
This is factually probably incorrect, but it was definitely 43 free kicks to our 18 or 19.
James would have given up 12 and me 10.
Clint Alleway kicked eight or nine goals for them and he was a mouth as well, just like us. Lewis Johnston kicked five for them as well, so those two probably kicked more than our whole side.
They were giving us lip, telling us we were old bastards.
It all exploded in the final quarter just before the final siren.
A free kick was paid against us and James and myself were giving Michael Avon both barrels. It was full on, we may have been a little over the top with our threats.
I didn’t even know where he lived anyway.
Avon is one of those old-style umpires who would talk to you, and to his credit, he did warn us we could be reported.
James told him to do it, he was retiring anyway and couldn't give a stuff.
There were a few other words said as well.
He ended up reporting James for abusive language and Wedge (Bulldogs chief executive Kris Grant) told him he had to be at the tribunal on the Tuesday night.
Not that James was going, he said he was finished.
He didn’t go and the tribunal couldn’t really suspend him, so they fined him $500.
James said they could shove it, or something like that, so Wedge said it would come out of his match payments.
James was spewing, but the supporters raised the $500 for him anyway.
We were playing s*** footy and when you are accustomed to playing in grand finals, the last month we played was ordinary.
We went out of the finals in straight sets and I remember coming off the ground after the North game.
The second semi-final followed our game and people were giving it to us, we copped plenty of abuse.
It’s all good fun.
There was a great photo in the office of umpires boss Shane Harris.
It was a poster blown up of James and me abusing Avon just before he reported us.
We signed the poster for Shane.
Poor Andrew Crosby, he is as nice as.
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He came up to us after the game and said he looked forward to having a game of golf with us now it was all over.
I just told him we would never play golf with him, ever.
I reckon I said a few other words as well.
Now, we play with his dad Bobby and brother Brett at Tea Tree Gully all the time.
When Andrew did the grand final last year, I asked if he remembered me saying I’d never play golf with him.
He said it was funny. It was the way we rolled in the heat of battle.
I actually got on with the umpires okay, they had personality and you could talk to them. Blokes like Richard Williams used to give it back to us.
The game has changed so much now you can’t instruct them like I did.
I used to like reading the rule book to them and let them know how the interpretation should be.
I’d tell them I would be becoming an umpire and show them how to do it. Now, I can’t run three metres without doing a calf so no chance.
Actually, my older brother Mark was an umpire, he even did the VFL.
When he took up umpiring, the old man (Peter) told him he was definitely the milk man’s, not his. No way a Gowans can be an umpire, he’d say.
Dad was nicknamed Mongrel.
So where do you reckon me and James got it from?