View source for Laurie Fowler

{{Short description|Australian rules footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Laurie Fowler
| image = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1951|12|29}}
| birth_place = 
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| originalteam = Oakleigh Districts
| debutdate = Round 8, 1971
| debutteam = [[Richmond Football Club|Richmond]]
| debutopponent = [[Footscray Football Club|Footscray]]
| debutstadium = the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]]
| height = 179 cm
| weight = 75 kg
| position = 
| statsend = 1981
| years1 = 1971–1974
| club1 = [[Richmond Football Club|Richmond]]
| games_goals1 = {{0}}49 {{0}}(7)
| years2 = 1975–1981
| club2 = [[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]]
| games_goals2 = 140 (18)
| games_goalstotal = 189 (25)
| careerhighlights = * Richmond premiership player 1973
* [[Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal|Keith Truscott Medal]] 1975, 1979, 1980
* Victorian state representative 1980, 1981
}}

'''Laurie Fowler''' (born 29 December 1951) is a former [[Australian rules football]]er who played for [[Richmond Football Club|Richmond]] and [[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]] in the [[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|Victorian Football League]] (VFL).

After finishing runner-up in the senior [[best and fairest]] count as a 16-year-old at Oakleigh Districts, Fowler was zoned to Richmond. Working his way up from the thirds side, Fowler made his senior VFL debut in [[1971 VFL season|1971]] and soon became recognised as a tough and courageous defender. He will be best remembered as the player who crashed into [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]] captain-coach [[John Nicholls (footballer)|John Nicholls]] at the start of the [[1973 VFL Grand Final]]. The collision severely impacted Nicholls and helped Richmond avenge their loss to Carlton in the [[1972 VFL Grand Final|previous year's Grand Final]].

Richmond won the premiership again in [[1974 VFL Grand Final|1974]], but Fowler quit after he was omitted from the team. The Tigers considered Fowler's senior options to be limited and sold him to Melbourne, the club Fowler had supported as a child, for $15,000 (equivalent to over $100,000 in 2009). Fowler made an instant impact with the struggling Demons, winning the [[Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal]] for the best and fairest player at the club in his [[1975 VFL season|first season]]. Although primarily a back-pocket player, Melbourne coach [[Bob Skilton]] also used Fowler as a ruck-rover to help cover for [[Greg Wells (footballer, born 1950)|Greg Wells]]' lack of defensive skills in the midfield. In [[1976 VFL season|1976]], Melbourne narrowly missed out on the finals after Carlton drew with [[Footscray Football Club|Footscray]] in the final round of the home-and-away season. Fowler was again among Melbourne's best players, finishing runner-up to Wells in the Keith Truscott Medal count.

Skilton was replaced as coach by former premiership player [[Dennis Jones (Australian footballer)|Dennis Jones]] at the end of the [[1977 VFL season]], but Melbourne's fortunes did not improve and they finished last in [[1978 VFL season|1978]]. During that season, Fowler had to be talked out of retirement after being relegated to the Reserves, and then quit for a brief time in May after being substituted against [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]]. Despite receiving offers from a number of top clubs at the time, Fowler returned to Melbourne just days later and reconciled. Jones was sacked at the end of the season and [[Carl Ditterich]] returned as captain-coach.

Although Melbourne did not fare much better under Ditterich, Fowler continued to stand out, winning successive Keith Truscott Medals in [[1979 VFL season|1979]] and [[1980 VFL season|1980]] and representing [[Victoria Australian rules football team|Victoria]] at interstate level in 1980 and [[1981 VFL season|1981]].

Fowler walked out on Melbourne after contract negotiations failed before the start of the [[1982 VFL season]]. Instead, he spent the season in the [[Victorian Football Association]] (VFA) with [[Waverley Football Club|Waverley]]. He then became captain-coach of  fellow VFA club [[Springvale Football Club|Springvale]], leading them to the Second Division flag in [[1983 VFA season|1983]].

==Playing statistics==
:<ref>[http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/L/Laurie_Fowler.html Laurie Fowler's Player Profile at AFL Tables]</ref>
{{AFL player statistics legend}}
{{AFL player statistics start}}
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1971 VFL season|1971]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}
| 45 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1972 VFL season|1972]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}
| 11 || 11 || 0 || 0 || 108 || 12 || 120 || 32 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.0 || 9.8 || 1.1 || 10.9 || 2.9 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" | [[1973 VFL season|1973]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}
| 11 || 22 || 7 || 3 || 181 || 19 || 200 || 64 || {{n/a}} || 0.3 || 0.1 || 8.2 || 0.9 || 9.1 || 2.9 || {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1974 VFL season|1974]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ric}}
| 11 || 15 || 0 || 0 || 136 || 19 || 155 || 38 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.0 || 9.1 || 1.3 || 10.3 || 2.5 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1975 VFL season|1975]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Mel}}
| 9 || 22 || 0 || 2 || 312 || 28 || 340 || 89 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.1 || 14.9 || 1.3 || 16.2 || 4.2 || {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1976 VFL season|1976]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Mel}}
| 9 || 22 || 4 || 6 || 329 || 68 || 397 || 90 || {{n/a}} || 0.2 || 0.3 || 15.0 || 3.1 || 18.0 || 4.1 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1977 VFL season|1977]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Mel}}
| 9 || 17 || 12 || 16 || 273 || 60 || 333 || 57 || {{n/a}} || 0.7 || 1.0 || 16.1 || 3.5 || 19.6 || 3.4 || {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1978 VFL season|1978]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Mel}}
| 9 || 15 || 1 || 1 || 199 || 29 || 228 || 44 || {{n/a}} || 0.1 || 0.1 || 13.3 || 1.9 || 15.2 || 2.9 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1979 VFL season|1979]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Mel}}
| 9 || 21 || 0 || 0 || 319 || 87 || 406 || 100 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.0 || 15.2 || 4.1 || 19.3 || 4.8 || {{n/a}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1980 VFL season|1980]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Mel}}
| 9 || 21 || 1 || 0 || 275 || 92 || 367 || 86 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.0 || 13.1 || 4.4 || 17.5 || 4.1 || {{n/a}}
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1981 VFL season|1981]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Mel}}
| 9 || 22 || 0 || 0 || 255 || 85 || 340 || 72 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.0 || 11.6 || 3.9 || 15.5 || 3.3 || {{n/a}}
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3| Career
! 189
! 25
! 29
! 2388
! 499
! 2887
! 672
! {{n/a}}
! 0.1
! 0.2
! 12.7
! 2.6
! 15.4
! 3.6
! {{n/a}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{AFL Tables | L/Laurie_Fowler }}
* [http://demonwiki.org/Laurie+Fowler Profile] at Demonwiki

{{1973 Richmond premiership players}}
{{Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Laurie}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Richmond Football Club players]]
[[Category:Richmond Football Club premiership players]]
[[Category:Melbourne Football Club players]]
[[Category:Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners]]
[[Category:Casey Demons players]]
[[Category:Casey Demons coaches]]
[[Category:Waverley Football Club players]]
[[Category:VFL/AFL premiership players]]