that's good that Nick is able to be a Bulldogs feeder...his knees must be ok after he recently spent time in hospital.
I thought Nick was fired/let go last year from his football team....what was that all about?
I didn't really understand myself but I grew up in NQ and I remember the stuff about the Cowboys "Feeder" teams
Delisted Lower still for hire
September 19, 2013 5:40 PM
NICK Lower was given no guarantees when he joined the Western Bulldogs for pre-season training last year, and he holds no grudges now that his time with the club is over.
After 13 games in his one season at the Whitten Oval, Lower was told by list manager Jason McCartney earlier this month that he had been squeezed out by the Bulldogs' army of young inside midfielders.
Hearing the news wasn't easy, but he said he understood the club's position, with Mitch Wallis, Tom Liberatore, Clay Smith and Koby Stevens taking on more midfield responsibility.
The 26-year-old's career, which started at Port Adelaide in 2005 and saw him relaunch at Fremantle as a rookie in 2011, has been a tale of persistence, and he is hopeful another chance will present.
"I'm quite close with Jason and it was quite difficult for him to deliver the news," Lower told AFL.com.au.
"He'd just come from a meeting with Daniel Cross, so I don't think he was having the best of days.
"We'd already arranged to have dinner and a couple of drinks, so we were sitting in a pub in Port Melbourne and he had that look on his face that something was up.
"He laid it out and told me the reasons why, and I'm pretty realistic, I understand that footy is a cut-throat business and decisions have to be made.
"I just thanked him for the opportunity to come to the Bulldogs."
After 20 games in three seasons with Port Adelaide between 2008 and 2010, Lower spent one year with SANFL club Norwood where he transformed from a half-back to an inside midfielder, earning him a chance with Fremantle, where he played 22 games in two seasons.
He started this season by keeping Brisbane Lions midfielder Daniel Rich to eight possessions in a brilliant tagging performance, but rolled ankles, bone bruising and a concussion robbed him of consistency.
"Obviously I haven't played as many games as I would have liked in my seven years, but I've still got seven years of experience under my belt," he said.
"The first half of this year was a steep learning curve for me because I've never really tagged before, but you learn a lot by doing it.
"As the year progressed I copped a few injuries, which were a bit out of my hands.
"It would have been good to come back into the team and just play as a midfielder, which was an opportunity I was always looking for."
Lower, who is close to completing a commerce degree, is working in commercial real estate with CBRE and is involved with the AFL Players Association's Next Goal program.
Playing at the highest level again is his goal, however, and he said he would be willing to travel anywhere to train with a club through the pre-season.
"That's pretty much how the Bulldogs came about … they just said rock up with your footy boots and your mouthguard and we'll see what you've got," he said.
"You never know what can come of those opportunities, but if you don't take them you can die wondering and I certainly don't want to do that."
THEN....
Nick Lower named co-captain of Footscray’s VFL team
NICK Lower could have easily opted to add another stop to a bumpy ride that has taken him across three states.
The journeyman has been delisted three times from an AFL club, notching 55 games across eight seasons for Port Adelaide, Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs.
His time at the Dogs ended after just one season when he was squeezed out by the club’s stable of emerging midfielders last year.
But, far from bitter, Lower will remain at Whitten Oval and has been named co-captain, alongside good friend Lukas Markovic, of Footscray’s VFL team.
“It was always a great club,” Lower said.
“When I left at the end of last year, it was a bit of a surprise, but I certainly wasn’t upset with the coaching staff and I understood the reasons behind it.
“The club’s definitely going places and I saw the opportunity to be a part of a thriving club. Although it won’t be at AFL level, you still certainly feel a part of it.”
Lower and Markovic were the standout contenders for the captaincy and will be joined by former AFL players Brent Prismall and Jordan Russell in the leadership group.
The Dogs’ list is yet to be finalised but it will include experienced heads with AFL and VFL experience, along with players from the TAC Cup, Western Region Football League, Victorian Amateur Football Association and the Ballarat League.
Lower said he was “humbled” to be selected co-captain. He led sides during his junior career and was looking forward to sinking his teeth into the role.
“It’s a huge honour. To be part of the inaugural Footscray VFL team is a huge honour in anyone’s eyes, but the fact we (him and Markovic) played for the senior side and now the VFL side — it’s certainly something we haven’t taken lightly,” Lower said.
“I’ve always seen leadership as a pretty important part of my role, although at senior level I’ve never really had a fixed position in any leadership groups.
“Last year at the Dogs I was part of an open leadership group and at times at Fremantle as well I was part of an extended leadership group.
“It’s certainly going to be interesting as the year pans out with boys coming in and out of the AFL side at different stages. For Lukas and I, having spent the majority of previous years on AFL lists with these guys, it’s going to make it a little more comfortable for them when they come back to us.”
Lower said defender Markovic was a “very level-headed, grounded guy”.
Footscray will start its VFL campaign on April 5 against Richmond.
Whitten Oval will host games for the first time since 1997, with Footscray having five matches at the Barkly St venue — against Richmond, Northern Blues, Essendon, Box Hill and Bendigo Gold.
“It’s always an honour to pull on the guernsey, but to run on the oval after so many years and actually play games there for points … it’s the spiritual home of the club and there’s a lot of history and tradition that runs deep in the roots of that grass. We’re all pretty pumped to get out there,” Lower said.
Expect the VFL side to mirror the AFL team and display the contested-ball style of play promoted by senior coach Brendan McCartney.
Footscray boss Chris Maple has previously made it clear the development of the club’s AFL players is the No. 1 priority.
“We don’t really know what to expect. Obviously there are some very strong stand-alone teams in Port Melbourne and Williamstown now. But we’d like to think on any given day — regardless of how many AFL-listed blokes we have — that we’ll be able to match it with the best,” Lower said.
Lower described pre-season as “full on” and said he did not harbour ambitions to return to the top level.
“I think a few of the boys have had pretty big shocks when it comes to the training load. I think they’ve got a really good program that will hold us in good stead,” he said.
“I’d certainly like to win a couple of premierships. I’m not playing there just to make up the numbers.”
From Wikipedia:
Footscray Bulldogs, otherwise simply known as Footscray and nicknamed The Bulldogs or Dogs, are an Australian rules football team which participates in the Victorian Football League. The team is a reserves team operated by the Western Bulldogs, which fields it's senior team in the Australian Football League. The Footscray Bulldogs have participated in the VFL competition since the beginning of the 2014 season.
#verygrateful #andgreatful
