Jack Bowes is officially one with the red and black.

The 28-year-old got his wish of a move to the Bombers early in this year’s Continental Tyres Trade Period, joining the Club as part of a deal sending Jordan Ridley to the Cats.

Essendon isn’t unfamiliar to Bowes, who came close to calling the NEC Hangar home as far back as 2022 when he first sought a return to Victoria, eventually settling on Geelong as his second AFL club before finding his way to the Dons this year.

At pick No.10 in the 2016 draft as a member of Gold Coast’s Academy, the traits that stood out to recruiters 10 years ago have translated nicely into Bowes’ 152 games at senior level since.

Bowes’ poise is what largely underpins his game. For a midfielder who stands up well in the contest and can take on inside roles, he still usually seems to have plenty of time with the ball and doesn’t get overwhelmed by pressure.

As a youngster, he took full advantage of an assist from future teammate Peter Wright to break Carlton hearts with a quick-thinking game winner in round four, 2019 – one of the highlights of the Gold Coast’s early years in the competition.

Coming out of a COVID-impacted season, Bowes relished an uninterrupted run with the SUNS in 2021, averaging a career-high 21 disposals and five rebound 50s per game through a half back-midfield split.

His clean ball use – especially by foot - was a feature on the Gold Coast and it led to the Cats swooping in on him as a free agent as they looked to bulk up their on-ball stocks.

That class was apparent to longtime Geelong Senior Coach Chris Scott very early in Bowes' tenure.

"With our inside mids at the moment, that can be a hard place to break into. We've tried to confine most of the assessment of (Jack) to what we've seen with our own eyes in our system rather than what he has done at the Gold Coast previously - but his ball use is going to be a real asset for us," Scott said in 2023.

"We're likely to try and get him into spots where we can get the ball into his hands." 

While they got that in Bowes, Geelong also earned themselves a ‘seventh forward’ who could capably push forward and use his 189cm frame to good effect.

An understated staple of the Cats’ side that ran deep into the finals in 2024 and ’25, Bowes featured in 43 of 51 games over that period and slotted 28 goals in two seasons from the midfield.

Bowes was one of his side’s more solid contributors in their Grand Final defeat to Brisbane, racking up 10 contested possessions and hitting the scoreboard on a tough day.

That big-game experience from his stint down the highway will prove vital to a Dons side in need of it, having traded out over 380 games’ worth from Jordan Ridley and Zach Merrett’s departures.

Leadership does come naturally to Bowes, having skippered his state at U18 level and provided a consistent voice for Geelong’s youngsters in their run to a Grand Final at VFL level in 2026.

The classy midfielder will be keen to aid in the development of the Dons’ youngsters next season while reaping a fresh start himself.