Rookie Ben Dowdell has made an encouraging start to his transition from US College basketballer to Australian Rules footballer, but says he’s under no illusions he still has plenty of work to do before being considered for AFL selection. 

After returning from a four-year stint with Santa Clara in the NCAA Division One West Coast Conference last June, Dowdell tried out with NBL team Cairns Taipans, where his older brother Jeff had recently signed.

He played several practice matches for the Taipans, including a couple of hit-outs against the Adelaide 36ers at Adelaide Arena, but was overlooked for a position on the roster and decided to try his hand at football.

After being alerted to Dowdell’s potential, the Crows signed the 200cm, 100kg, forward under the League’s ‘alternative talent’ rule.

Dowdell, who only played a handful of junior Australian Rules games as a teenager in New South Wales, was eased into pre-season training with his new teammates but still found the going tough.

“It took a little while to adjust to the workload and all the running that I’m not used to,” Dowdell told afc.com.au.

“The fitness side of things has been hard, but so has learning a game I haven’t played too much and all the ins and outs in regards to tactics that I’m not too sure on.

“It’s been a bit of a learning curve, but it’s been great and all the feedback I’ve been getting has been really good.”

Dowdell has impressed the Crows coaching staff with how quickly his kicking skills have improved, and also his competitiveness at training.

The 23-year-old Mechanical Engineering graduate got his first taste of AFL in Adelaide’s intra-club trial last month, and hopes to continue his development at SANFL club South Adelaide this season.

“The intra-club was tough and something I’m not used to,” he said.

“The couple of Under-15 games I played don’t really compare to that, but it was good to get an idea of where I’m at.

“This season, I’m hoping to put in a good showing down at South Adelaide and make some solid progress in my skills and game play.

“Hopefully, I’ll be pushing for elevation to the senior list in the next year or two.”

Away from the field, Dowdell has moved in with fellow Crows recruit Josh Jenkins, who also comes from a strong basketball background.

“Adelaide has been great. I’ve got a couple of friends over here, who are playing basketball, so it’s been really good,” Dowdell said.

“Josh’s cat leaves a bit of hair around the place, but apart from that it’s been great.

“It’s good living with someone, who has done a similar thing to me, coming from basketball to footy.

“Josh is doing really well with it, so that’s another great aspect of it.

“It’s been good to get a refresher of the Australian accent too.

“I’ve had some calls back to America and my friends there reckon I sound way more Australian now, which is good.”