Ben Howlett (born 21 October 1988) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
| Ben Howlett | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Howlett playing for Essendon in June 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Ben Howlett | ||
| Date of birth | 21 October 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Donnybrook, Western Australia | ||
| Original team(s) | Donnybrook | ||
| Draft | No. 30, 2009 rookie draft | ||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder / forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2006–2009 | Peel Thunder | 61 (19) | |
| 2010–2017 | Essendon | 124 (58) | |
| 2018–2021 | Peel Thunder | 40 (18) | |
| Total | 101 (37) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2021. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Howlett was selected by Essendon with pick 30 in the 2010 rookie draft, as a 21-year-old from Peel Thunder in the West Australian Football League. His final season with Peel Thunder saw him claim the club's best and fairest award.[1] He was promoted to Essendon's senior list in the 2010 season.
Howlett, along with 33 other Essendon players, was found guilty of using a banned performance-enhancing substance, thymosin beta-4, as part of Essendon's sports supplements program during the 2012 season. He and his teammates were initially found not guilty in March 2015 by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal,[2] but a guilty verdict was returned in January 2016 after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was suspended for one season which, with backdating, ended in November 2016; as a result, he served approximately fourteen months of his suspension and missed the entire 2016 AFL season.[3]
Howlett was delisted at the conclusion of the 2017 AFL season.[4] He returned home to WA and signed with the club he was originally drafted from, Peel Thunder in the WAFL, for the 2018 season.[5] In 2019, Howlett was named captain of the club, taking over from dual premiership captain Gerald Ugle.[6]
In Round 9 of the 2021 WAFL season Howlett played his 100th[7] game for Peel Thunder against Swan Districts before announcing his retirement from WAFL footy at the end of that season.
Statistics
edit G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2010 | Essendon | 40 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 140 | 142 | 282 | 43 | 93 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 9.3 | 9.5 | 18.8 | 2.9 | 6.2 |
| 2011 | Essendon | 40 | 23 | 9 | 5 | 248 | 177 | 425 | 59 | 153 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 10.8 | 7.7 | 18.5 | 2.6 | 6.6 |
| 2012 | Essendon | 40 | 19 | 6 | 8 | 205 | 169 | 374 | 62 | 121 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 10.8 | 8.9 | 19.7 | 3.3 | 6.4 |
| 2013 | Essendon | 40 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 171 | 130 | 301 | 55 | 109 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 9 | 6.8 | 15.8 | 2.9 | 5.7 |
| 2014 | Essendon | 40 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 180 | 143 | 323 | 77 | 130 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 8.6 | 6.8 | 15.4 | 3.7 | 6.2 |
| 2015 | Essendon | 40 | 20 | 10 | 7 | 154 | 166 | 320 | 61 | 122 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 7.7 | 8.3 | 16.0 | 3.1 | 6.1 |
| 2017 | Essendon | 40 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 55 | 95 | 18 | 30 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 5.7 | 7.9 | 13.6 | 2.6 | 4.3 |
| Career | 124 | 58 | 35 | 1138 | 982 | 2120 | 375 | 758 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 9.2 | 7.9 | 17.1 | 3.0 | 6.1 | ||
References
edit- ^ Mandurah Mail (28 September 2009). "Howlett named the best, coach announced". Mandurah Mail. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- ^ Twomey, Callum (31 March 2015). "Thirty-four present and former Bombers cleared of all drug charges". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ Travis King (12 January 2016). "Guilty: court bans the Essendon 34 for 2016". Australian Football League. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ^ "Dons announce list changes". EssendonFC.com.au. Bigpond. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ McArdle, Jordan (13 December 2017). "Ben Howlett returns to Peel Thunder after eight years with Essendon". The West Australian.
- ^ "2019 Peel Thunder WAFL Captain and Leadership Group". Peel Thunder Football Club. 3 April 2019.
- ^ "Howlett to join WA football greats". The West Australian. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
External links
edit
- Ben Howlett's profile on the official website of the Essendon Football Club
- Ben Howlett's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- WAFL Player Profile and Statistics