Joey Fowler pulls on the green and gold and makes his mark in Canberra

Joey Fowler’s thriving rugby career reached a pulsating new height on Sunday when he pulled on a green and gold jersey for the first time and lined up for his maiden national appearance for the Australian under-18 and schools XV.

Joey, the son of beloved Narrabri Rugby Club duo Chris and Amanda Fowler, played the entire second half of the side’s 59-5 win against the Australian under-19s barbarians at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

The 17-year-old Narrabri boy came off the bench in that match and made an instant impact.

The gun five-eighth set up a try with a superb cutout pass and then scored one himself to help convert a 21-5 half-time scoreline into a dominant 54-point victory.

Joey told The Courier it was a unique feeling to pull on the green and gold uniform.

“It was pretty special. When I put it on for the first time, it was just quite surreal,” he said.

“Myself and all the other boys felt quite energised. It was really good.

“I came off the bench and played the second half. I was pretty happy with how I played. Scored a nice little try, which is good, and I think I did my role in the team.”

The humble youngster thanked everyone who has helped him along the way up until this point in his journey, especially his parents, who he said had sacrificed a lot to give him the opportunity to reach his potential.

The national appearance continued a remarkable journey for Joey, who has worked hard to make a successful return from a shoulder reconstruction late last year and a concussion upon his return earlier this year.

He played just one of St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill’s five trial games and after two games for the school’s first XV, during which he impressed at five-eighth, he was selected in the GPS seconds side.

He played five-eighth for that representative team in two games, which were both dominant victories, and from there earned the call up to the Waratahs under-18s academy first team.

He played a full game for the NSW outfit in a trial match win against its Queensland Reds counterparts back in July and then earned selection for the side’s games against Melbourne Rebels on Tuesday, September 20, and the Reds on Sunday, September 25.

Joey started at five-eighth in both of those matches and played full games as the Waratahs beat the Rebels 53-19 and then went down by just two points against the Reds.

Following those matches and others played between Super Rugby Academy sides, Rugby Australia announced the 25-player Australian under-18 and schools squad, led by head coach Shannon Fraser.

Speaking to Rugby.com.au after the game on Sunday, Fraser spoke highly of Joey and fellow five-eighth Harry McLaughlin-Phillips.

“Harry and Joey are two quality, very confident young number 10s,” said Fraser.

“Harry is very confident, likes to play flat and controls the game well.

“Joey is a calm figure, plays a bit deeper and has outstanding vision.

“As with all the players, it will be exciting to see how they progress over the next 12-to-24 months and with the World Under-20s Championships back on the calendar next year.”

The Australian under-18 and schools squad spent the week at the Australian Institute of Sport, where the young players enjoyed a week-long camp.

The Narrabri boy told The Courier the camp was beneficial and opened his eyes to see some of what it takes to be a professional athlete.

“I was pretty stoked,” Joey said of being selected onto the squad.

“I was working towards that, but I wasn’t expecting to make it as a 17-year-old. So when I was named, I was pretty excited.

“The week was really good.

“The training wasn’t actually that full on. We didn’t train a lot, but there were a lot of little things like nutrition and recovery and what it was like to be a professional rugby player.

“We went through all the off-field things too, like pressure and the media.

“There were a few gym sessions too and a lot of team bonding. It was really good.”