Jack Bowes all-in at Geelong ahead of return to Gold Coast

Forced out of the Suns, Jack Bowes is looking forward to his return to the Gold Coast.

Jack Bowes made his debut in Geelong’s loss to Carlton. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Jack Bowes may have circled his homecoming on the calendar weeks out from the start of his first season with Geelong but the reception he will receive when playing his old club remains unknown.

Unlike the chorus of jeers that took over the MCG in round 1 when Ollie Henry played for the Cats against his old side Collingwood, Bowes may receive a quiet reception when he runs out in the hoops against Gold Coast on Sunday.

Jack Bowes in traffic. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The Cairns native didn’t have any plans of leaving the Suns until the club came to him and revealed its plan to shed his salary by offloading him elsewhere, a move that left Bowes “gutted”.

Even Suns co-captain Touk Miller said this week that the move wasn’t on Bowes.

“I hope the crowd doesn’t boo him because he’s done a lot for the club,” Miller said.

“I know it’s part of football, but you’ve got to respect that he was in a situation that wasn’t in his favour in the end … I’m looking forward to seeing him.”

While he is keen to face up to his old team, since picking Geelong as his trade destination of choice, Bowes has been all-in on Geelong.

Jack Bowes and Touk Miller.

Like many recruits or draftees, he had dinner at former club vice-president Bob Gartland’s house to check out his extensive collection of Cats memorabilia.

After 83 games with the Suns, Bowes was handed a Geelong jumper to debut against Carlton in round 2.

“I just feel honoured to be able to pull on the jersey,” he said.

“It meant a lot, it was an absolute privilege. This club has so much history and I am just glad to be part of it.”

Bowes was sent to the half-back flank to start his first game with Geelong after not training there at all throughout pre-season.

With the Cats missing a plethora of defenders – Tom Stewart, Jack Henry, Mitch Duncan and Jake Kolodjashnij – Bowes was happy to be sent where he was needed.

Jack Bowes in Suns colours. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

In unfamiliar surrounds, Bowes was one of Geelong’s best early in the loss to Carlton, showing off the shrewd kicking that impressed coaches in his first pre-season with the club.

He went at 80 per cent efficiency with his 20 disposals – 15 of them kicks – but fluffed a simple shot at goal as Geelong was making a late comeback.

“I haven’t done any training at half-back all pre-season, it was sort of in the middle and half-forward,” he said.

“I am in a position where I can play a few different roles for the team and wherever I am called upon, I can play those roles.

“I think wherever I am playing my footy, I am going to try and help in any role I can for the team.”

Defence not up to it: Bowes

First-game Cat Jack Bowes says Geelong’s defence wasn’t on the same page in Thursday’s tight loss to Carlton as the reigning premiers iron out some kinks in their game.

For the second week running, the Cats battled to get their hands on the ball and were well beaten on the outside as the Blues gathered 36 more uncontested possessions just six days after Collingwood had 63 more than Geelong.

Jack Bowes lines one up. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

In both those losses, the Cats struggled to stem the flow as the Blues and Pies moved the ball with ease, with the 215 combined points the most Geelong has conceded in a two-game span since early 2017.

Bowes said the Cats were off early before some tweaks made at half-time swung the game in their favour.

“Full credit to Carlton, I think they were fantastic in the way they approached the game,” he said.

“They chipped the ball around on us a bit early and got a lot of uncontested marks and we weren’t able to stop that.

“We sort of got the game on our terms in the second half but probably left our run a little bit too late.

“It’s easier to stop (an opponent) when we are all on the same page and connected but we just felt like our defensive system wasn’t on from the start. But once we were able to turn that around after half-time, we were able to keep that to a minimum.

“It was just the start of the game that let us down.”

Geelong will take a 10-day break to tinker with its game before meeting Gold Coast next Sunday.

Bowes, who didn’t experience Geelong’s run to the flag last year and was traded in from the Suns over the off-season, said he had no concerns about his side competing at the highest level this year, despite an 0-2 start.

“We are confident our best footy can beat everyone, we are going to do whatever we can and keep working on those things that we can tinker at and play our best footy,” he said.

Originally published as Jack Bowes all-in at Geelong ahead of return to Gold Coast