Joel's silky skills unravel
07 April 2003 Herald Sun
By MICHAEL GLEESON
JOEL Bowden in two halves yesterday proved why he is perhaps second only to Matthew Richardson as the most frustrating player at Tigerland.
He is extremely gifted, can do it all and, when he does, he is a magnificent. Like the second half yesterday.
Then he can have a half of football, as he did in the first half yesterday, when even he is wondering what what the hell is going on.
For two quarters yesterday he was just plain terrible. He got plenty of the ball but he kept turning it over. He was not alone. Far from it - Richmond seemed incapable, in the second quarter in particular, of finding anyone (except the occasional opponent) with clean possession.
But just when you were about to despair about how such a superbly skilled player as Bowden could have those skills abandon him, he turns it all around.
Suddenly he was scorching the opposition when those same kicks started hitting the chests of teammates.
"The ball was not coming off my boot real good in the first half and maybe it filtered through the team a little bit," Bowden said.
"The first ball I got after halftime I kicked straight out of bounds on the full and I thought, 'bloody hell, I am having a terrible day'. No, actually I thought I had better get the next one and rectify it so I went and got another one and actually hit someone and then it stems from there.
"You hit one, you feel more confident, you hit two and you think 'OK I can actually play, I am not here to make up the numbers'.
"That first half I was thinking, 'Gees, I can't keep making mistakes like this or I may as well not be on the ground'.
"I tried to keep persevering and in the end I did start to hit a few targets and I think in the last quarter I was able to hit Richo.
"I never stop trying and I never stop running and I try to keep on the move and get my hands on the ball. I guess I was a little bit eager to hit a target or to make it come off 100 per cent when sometimes you can just put it out in front and the guy runs on to it.
"After halftime the whole side came out and we really wanted to win. We didn't want to come away two-zip.
"It is only early in the season but it was a really crucial half for us."
07 April 2003 Herald Sun
By MICHAEL GLEESON
JOEL Bowden in two halves yesterday proved why he is perhaps second only to Matthew Richardson as the most frustrating player at Tigerland.
He is extremely gifted, can do it all and, when he does, he is a magnificent. Like the second half yesterday.
Then he can have a half of football, as he did in the first half yesterday, when even he is wondering what what the hell is going on.
For two quarters yesterday he was just plain terrible. He got plenty of the ball but he kept turning it over. He was not alone. Far from it - Richmond seemed incapable, in the second quarter in particular, of finding anyone (except the occasional opponent) with clean possession.
But just when you were about to despair about how such a superbly skilled player as Bowden could have those skills abandon him, he turns it all around.
Suddenly he was scorching the opposition when those same kicks started hitting the chests of teammates.
"The ball was not coming off my boot real good in the first half and maybe it filtered through the team a little bit," Bowden said.
"The first ball I got after halftime I kicked straight out of bounds on the full and I thought, 'bloody hell, I am having a terrible day'. No, actually I thought I had better get the next one and rectify it so I went and got another one and actually hit someone and then it stems from there.
"You hit one, you feel more confident, you hit two and you think 'OK I can actually play, I am not here to make up the numbers'.
"That first half I was thinking, 'Gees, I can't keep making mistakes like this or I may as well not be on the ground'.
"I tried to keep persevering and in the end I did start to hit a few targets and I think in the last quarter I was able to hit Richo.
"I never stop trying and I never stop running and I try to keep on the move and get my hands on the ball. I guess I was a little bit eager to hit a target or to make it come off 100 per cent when sometimes you can just put it out in front and the guy runs on to it.
"After halftime the whole side came out and we really wanted to win. We didn't want to come away two-zip.
"It is only early in the season but it was a really crucial half for us."
