IN DECEMBER of last year, Jake Bowey was heading into the 2026 AFL pre-season on the springboard of one of his best individual campaigns to date.

He had finished fourth in the club’s best and fairest count, averaging a career-high 22 disposals and five marks for the year.

As he prepared to launch into 2026 with this form momentum, it all came to an abrupt halt when the crafty defender suffered a Lisfranc injury during pre-season camp.

“It was a pretty weird one, we were in Bright on pre-season camp and Xavier Taylor stood on my foot in a drill, and I thought it was just a bruised foot,” Bowey explained.

“I went in for scans, and I was pretty surprised to hear that I'd done what I'd done.

In the blink of an eye, Bowey was set for surgery and a six-month stint on the sidelines.

While it was a hard adjustment, the 23-year-old found the silver linings where he could.

“It was the effect on my day-to-day life that probably hurt the most,” Bowey said.

“I was on crutches and on the scooter, which meant I couldn't really use my hands much.

“I moved back into mum and dad’s, but I feel like it hasn't really affected my footy that much.

“I’m sort of lucky that it happened when it happened and not during the season, and I still can take that confidence from last year.”

A long stint in the rehab group often means a level of isolation from the rest of the team, with hours spent in the gym or on the sidelines, separated from main training.

Bowey, who hadn’t experienced a rehab program of this length before, said it was particularly difficult during the later sessions of pre-season.

“It was a struggle during the early days of the injury, just being at home and not really being able to do anything,” Bowey said.

“Not being able to sweat was probably the most annoying part, like not being able to jump on a bike or do a gym session.

“The toughest part was probably watching them do match play during pre-season, where it's four quarters of match play and you're sort of sitting on a bike working hard.

“Watching them get a few wins the last couple of weekends, that hurt too, not being involved in that environment, but I was also so happy for them to be winning as well.”

Bowey returned to the AFL on Sunday, playing a crucial role in Narrm’s 32-point win over Waalitj Marawar with 26 disposals, six intercepts and four marks.

Senior coach Steven King spoke to media following the game and praised Bowey’s diligence throughout his journey back.

“It's just a great reflection of his professionalism to get over that Lisfranc injury as quickly as he has,” King said.

“You saw how clean and composed he was today for us, getting his experience and composure back is going to help us not only defend but set the game up as well.”

Reflecting on the experience himself, the defender kept it simple. 

"I'm just relieved," Bowey said post-game. 

"[Waalitj Marawar] they played pretty well, so it was good to get the win."