Ben Howlett
Australian rules footballer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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).
Ben Howlett | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Full name | Ben Howlett | ||
Date of birth | (1988-10-21) 21 October 1988 (age 35) | ||
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 |
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.