Ben Howlett

Ben Howlett
Howlett playing for Essendon in June 2017
Personal information
Full name Ben Howlett
Date of birth (1988-10-21) 21 October 1988 (age 36)
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

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).

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]
Legend
  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]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Twomey, Callum (31 March 2015). "Thirty-four present and former Bombers cleared of all drug charges". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  3. ^ Travis King (12 January 2016). "Guilty: court bans the Essendon 34 for 2016". Australian Football League. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Dons announce list changes". EssendonFC.com.au. Bigpond. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  5. ^ McArdle, Jordan (13 December 2017). "Ben Howlett returns to Peel Thunder after eight years with Essendon". The West Australian.
  6. ^ "2019 Peel Thunder WAFL Captain and Leadership Group". Peel Thunder Football Club. 3 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Howlett to join WA football greats". The West Australian. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
[edit]