AFL Trade Period: Follow all the latest news on all the big deals as they happen

Jack Bowes has been left feeling betrayed by a club he has loved deeply and never wanted to leave. This is the inside story on his Suns exit.

Departing Sun Jack Bowes has been left feeling betrayed by a club he has loved deeply and never wanted to leave.

It’s understood Bowes has been left frustrated by a saga he feels the club created and put him on a course to joining Geelong via a trade that will also include the Suns giving away their pick 7.

In return the Cats will take on the $1.6m Bowes is owed over the next two years and give up a future pick.

Bowes signed a five-year extension in 2019.

When Gold Coast figures approached him a couple of years into the deal and asked him to sign an alteration that would significantly reduce his annual earnings in order to back-end the deal, Bowes agreed.

He loves the club.

His parents had moved from Cairns to be on the Gold Coast, with his father Wayne and mother Collette playing a huge role in creating a support network for players and families at the club while Bowes’ grandmother has frequently hosted young draftees in their early years at the Suns.

Bowes believed he would be part of the first Suns side to play in a potential premiership.

He bought a house in Queensland, his partner is from the state and what has unfolded is something he never visualised would happen.

His trust was broken. By doing the right thing by the club in order to help its cause put him in a position where Gold Coast have looked to off-load him.

Bowes was holidaying in Bali when he saw some media reports labelling him a ‘wantaway Sun’. It irked him.

A player who captained the Allies under-18 side was once touted as a potential No. 1 draft pick. He slid to 10 because of his Academy links that gave Gold Coast first crack and was having leadership meetings with Hawthorn great Luke Hodge.

He was seen as captain material. The likes of former Suns assistant Dean Solomon said he had never seen anyone improve as quickly as Bowes did in his second year where he thrived in the midfield, matching up against the likes of Patrick Dangerfield, Patrick Cripps and Marcus Bontempelli.

Injuries saw him shift back to halfback in his third year and Bowes has struggled to claw his way back into an engine room that includes the likes of Touk Miller, David Swallow, Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell.

Those closest to Bowes believe they saw the writing on the wall midway through 2021 when Bowes was named in many rolling All-Australian sides but didn’t feature in the club’s top 10 best and fairest count at the same period.

It meant when the Suns told Bowes they were interested in trading him at this year’s exit meeting he was hurt but prepared.

He was down on confidence but the sheer volume of clubs who have wanted to sign Bowes has rebuilt his self-esteem and confidence in his ability.

Geelong, Hawthorn, Essendon, Adelaide and Brisbane led the charge for his signature and more were banging down the door, with his manager Robbie D’Orazio capping discussions with clubs at five.

The Cats are on the cusp of securing their man but it was Hawthorn, led by coach Sam Mitchell, who gave the most impressive pitch and offered more money in the last two years of a four-year deal.

Adelaide was the most desperate to get him while Brisbane was understood to be incentivised by the draft pick and points on offer.

But Geelong’s interest spans over more than 18 months and came well before the lure of pick 7 while Bowes wasn’t interested in going to a rebuilding club after spending six years at the Suns.

Bowes has obvious links to former Suns skipper Gary Ablett and his relationship with Dangerfield stems back to his time with the Allies under-18 team, with the premiership midfielder driving him back to Melbourne after assisting coach Brenton Sanderson.

Dangerfield has wrapped his arms around Bowes ever since, becoming a confidant for him throughout his career.

Cats coach Chris Scott, Dangerfield and recruitment manager Andrew Mackie were all part of a meeting with Bowes where they pitched a role that would see him used across the every part of the ground, rotating through the middle like many of the players.

Bowes is understood to now be jumping out of his skin to play at Geelong and earn a spot in the team’s best 22.

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Originally published as AFL Trade Period: Follow all the latest news on all the big deals as they happen