The Mole: Cowboys icon Matt Bowen drops bombshell on club over 2013 'kick in the guts'
League legend Matt Bowen has dropped a bombshell on the Cowboys, revealing that the club sacked him as a player in 2013.
At the time it was reported that it was Bowen who decided to quit the club and finish his career with two seasons with English club Wigan.
But Bowen - arguably the best player the Cowboys have produced - revealed on Andy Raymond's Unfiltered podcast that he was shown the door by the club - and he wasn't happy about it.
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Matt Bowen has revealed he was released by the Cowboys. Getty
"To be honest I wish I had stayed at the Cows. I was told I wasn't needed at the club at the time," Bowen said.
"You get called into the office and they say they haven't got room for you next year … I didn't know what to say … I didn't know what to think.
"Two years later they won the comp and I would have been a part of it.
"It was a kick in the guts. Obviously I did so much for this club and my missus is still bitter about it today. I love the club, don't get me wrong. I know how hard the players train.
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"But being told that at the back end of the year - and I think I just missed out on the Dally M (Medal).
"I was only 29 or 30 and I knew I had more to offer."
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Midway through his Wigan stint, Bowen was offered a chance to return to the Cowboys - but rejected it as he thought it was the wrong thing to do by the English club that had shown faith in him.
Cairns-born Bowen scored 127 tries in 267 games for the Cowboys and was a favourite son among the North Queensland fans for over a decade.
The Cowboys declined to comment, pointing out that none of the senior executives at the club at the time are with the organisation now.
