Billy Dowling is a professional

Australian rules footballer Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

who was selected by the Football Club as the number 43 pick in the

2022 AFL draft The 2022 AFL draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) could trade and recruit players during and following the completion of the 2022 AFL season. 2022 Covid top-up players Due to the Lea ...

. He previously played for in the

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

at amateur level.

AFL career

Dowling was picked up by at pick number 43 in the 2022 national draft from the Football Club. Dowling shone bright in the

for

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, but struggled to move forward into the senior side due to the strong midfield group of

Jordan Dawson Jordan Dawson (born 9 April 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Sydney Swans from 2016 to 2021. In 2023, Dawson was n ...

Rory Laird Rory Laird (born 29 December 1993) is a professional Australian rules football player who plays for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by Adelaide with pick 5 in the 2012 Rookie Draft. Early life ...

, and Matt Crouch. In July 2023, Dowling added to his rookie contract by signing on until the end of 2026. After an impressive run of form, and an injury to fellow on-baller Matt Crouch, Dowling's long-awaited debut was announced on 4 June 2024, two days prior to 's round 13 game against at the

Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...

. Dowling debuted with 17 disposals, 1 goal, and 9 marks, to finish as the sixth-highest rated Crow of the night (according to AFL Fantasy) in a disheartening loss for the club. After

Dan Curtin Daniel James Curtin (14 February 1898 – 4 December 1980) was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he was educated at a Catholic primary school before becoming a boilermaker and organiser of the Boilermakers' Society. In 1949, he was pre ...

, Dowling was the second Crow to make their AFL debut in 2024.

Statistics

:''Statistics correct to the end of 2024''. , - ,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, , , , 31 , , 9 , , 4 , , 1 , , 95 , , 58 , , 153 , , 48 , , 17 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 10.7 , , 6.4 , , 17.0 , , 5.3 , , 1.9 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 9 !! 4 !! 1 !! 95 !! 58 !! 153 !! 48 !! 17 !! 0.4 !! 0.1 !! 10.7 !! 6.4 !! 17.0 !! 5.3 !! 1.9

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Billy 2004 births Living people Adelaide Football Club players North Adelaide Football Club players Australian rules footballers from South Australia People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide 21st-century Australian sportsmen