An injury to long-time left centre Kane Linnett in the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys' final trial match opened up an opportunity for Javid Bowen to shine.
A product of Hope Vale in far North Queensland, Bowen was named in Paul Green's side for the season-opening showdown with the Cronulla Sharks at 1300SMILES Stadium.
The 25-year-old held his spot in the line-up for the first five rounds, before returning to the Queensland Cup after Lachlan Coote's return from injury forced Green to switch the in-form Ben Hampton to the centres.
Bowen would only make one more NRL appearance for the remainder of the season, albeit a successful one.
Filling in for the injured Antonio Winterstein on the left wing against the Warriors in Round 15, Bowen scored his first try of the year and ran for a season-high 96 metres.
Bowen was a key member of the Northern Pride Queensland Cup outfit who finished the regular season in fourth position.
2018 stats:
Games: 6
Tries: 1
Tackle breaks: 7
Average runs: 6
Average running metres: 59
