Matty Bowen relishes new season without shoulder burden

COWBOYS dynamo Matt Bowen has just produced one of the finest campaigns of his career - most of it with a dodgy shoulder.

COWBOYS dynamo Matt Bowen produced one of the finest campaigns of his career last season despite playing with a dodgy shoulder for six months.

As Bowen hit the comeback trail after off-season surgery, Cowboys high-performance manager Paul Bowman detailed the full extent of his injury struggle and ability to play through the pain barrier.

The 30-year-old was at his magical best last season, looking fitter than ever as he emphatically buried the demons of two knee reconstructions with 13 tries and 20 linebreaks from 26 games.

Behind the dazzling footwork and match-winning brilliance that steered the Cowboys to the playoffs, Bowen was in pain, carrying a badly damaged shoulder with strained ligaments for most of the season.

Bowman yesterday paid tribute to the toughness of Bowen, who has resumed light training and is on course to be cleared for the pre-season trials.

"Matty pretty much carried his shoulder the whole year, which is phenomenal given how well he played," Bowman said.

"His shoulder was getting worse and worse through the year. When the surgeon went in, he found a lot of loose fragments that had to be taken out. There was also some ligament damage, so 'Mango' had all that tightened up.

"Given the damage in there it would have been pretty painful for him to play and move around.

"It wasn't a full reconstruction. There are different types of surgeries when it comes to shoulders, but some of his ligaments have been stabilised.

"It's a testament to Matty's character. The staff did a great job modifying his training in the gym to keep him on the park and ensure he could do some strength work and lighter weights."

Bowen is one of six Cowboys who underwent off-season shoulder surgery, joining Anthony Mitchell, Ray Thompson, Brent Tate, Storm recruit Rory Kostjasyn and promising under-20s hooker Alex Elisala.

Bowman is confident the contingent will all be available for the Cowboys' premiership opener against the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on Saturday, March 9.

"Mango had his operation just after the finals so we've got him on the comeback trail," he said.

"Each individual surgery is different and there's their ages to consider and how quickly they heal."