Adrian Vowles is a former professional Scotland international rugby league footballer who played as a or in the 1990s and 2000s. He played in Australia for several years, gaining State of Origin selection in 1994, but spent the majority of his career in the Super League.
In Charleville, Vowles won a premiership with the All Whites club, before changing clubs and winning a premiership with Charleville Railways in 1988. In 1990, he moved to the Gold Coast, playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls. In 1991, while playing for a Gold Coast under-21 representative side, he earned a reserve grade trial with the Gold Coast Seagulls, later signing with the club.
In 1995, Vowles joined the newly-established North Queensland Cowboys, starting at centre in the club's inaugural game against the Sydney Bulldogs. In the same game, he became the first Cowboy to be sent off after a high shot on Bulldogs' centre Matthew Ryan just five minutes into the match. Vowles played 20 games for the Cowboys in 1995, captaining the side three times. In 1996, he became the club's full-time captain, playing 21 games at centre and lock. At the end of the 1996 season, Vowles was let go by new coach Tim Sheens. In 2019, Vowles spoke about being released saying, "I didn't miss one game, played half the year with a torn groin and a hernia and it was late when I got told that I wasn't wanted. It was mid-November. We'd already come back and they named a 25-man Super League squad and I wasn't named. Tim Sheens sat in his chair and his exact words were, "You're not big enough, you're not fast enough, you're not strong enough and you've got limited ability". I don't mind that he didn't want me, but don't belittle me. There was a way to do it. I haven't seen him since that day but things happen for a reason". After leaving the Cowboys, Vowles was offered to Super League clubs Adelaide, Canterbury and the Warriors but all three moves fell through.
In 1997, Vowles moved to England to play with Castleford. In his first season with the club, he played 30 games, scoring eight tries. In 1998, he played 23 games, scoring six tries. Vowles enjoyed a breakout season in 1999, being named at lock in the Super League Dream Team and winning the Man of Steel award, becoming the first Castleford player and first Queenslander to do so. In 2000, Vowles represented Scotland at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, starting at lock in all three of their pool games, scoring one try. In 2001, he once again represented Scotland in a 42–20 win over France. In 2003, Vowles returned to the club to play the last three games of the 2003 season after being granted a release by Wakefield. He returned to the Tigers again in 2005 for a brief spell in their promotion winning season in the Championship.
In 2002, Vowles moved to the Leeds Rhinos but played just 17 Super League games before making a mid-season switch to the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, where he accepted a player-coach role.
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Alongside co-coach Shane McNally, Vowles helped saved Wakefield from relegation in the 2002 season. Vowles remained with Wakefield until the final three matches of the 2003 season, when he was granted a release by the club to finish the season with Castleford.
In 2006, Vowles became an assistant coach for Burleigh, before relinquishing the role to become the CEO of the club, a position he held until 2010. In the same year, he was inducted into the Castleford Tigers Hall of Fame. In 2009, an Arriva Yorkshire bus was named after him as part of the Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team. In 2015, he was appointed assistant coach of the Australian Jillaroos and Queensland women's teams. In 2017, he took over as head coach of the Queensland women's side, holding the position for one year. From 2012 to 2018, Vowles worked for Channel 9 as a commentator for the Queensland Cup. Since 2014, the Adrian Vowles Cup has been held annually in Charleville, featuring under-14 and under-16 boys and girls sides from throughout regional Queensland.
