Australian Football

Joel Bowden played 265 games with the Richmond over 14 solid seasons between 1996 and 2009. After his debut in 1996, he carved a reputation as one of the Tigers' favourite sons. He was drafted at the end of 1995 under a father-son selection, and is the son of former Richmond 1969 premiership player Michael Bowden. Bowden played as a backman but could also be a play as a key forward. 

In 2006, Bowden was among the leading possession getters in the AFL, and had the most possessions shared between any two players with his brother Patrick.

In Round 16, 2008, Bowden was at the centre of a major controversy regarding rushed behinds. With Richmond up by six points against Essendon with less than a minute left, Bowden proceeded to wipe the remaining time off the clock by rushing two behinds from the kick out - tactics which caused an uproar with many calling for the current rules to be changed. Football journalist Mike Sheahan even likened it to the infamous Trevor Chappell underarm delivery. He played his last game in 2009 against Collingwood, who thrashed the Tigers by 93 points.