Robbie Fowler’s only hat-trick in the A-League came at HBF Park
HBF Park has played host to some famous Brits over the years, with the venue formerly known as Perth Oval happy to throw open its doors to visitors from the other side of the world.
Most of the stellar names to have graced such a stage have done so with a microphone in hand. Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, and Ed Sheeran have all rocked out in Western Australia. Not to be outdone, the odd famous face from the world of sport has also passed through its doors.
Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler, a man with 26 England caps to his name, spent two years in Australia between 2009 and 2011. He was never truly prolific for North Queensland Fury or Perth Glory but ended both of his playing seasons in the country as the top scorer at two different clubs.
Yorke. Fowler. Del Piero. Ono. Broich.
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) September 23, 2018
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His arrival was greeted with much fanfare, with those counting out the dollars of the opinion that they had struck a footballing goldmine. Value can, however, be difficult to find in the most volatile of markets. There were not as many tools available for scouring any given market back when Fowler was snapped up as there are in the present, with technological advances moving at a head-spinning pace.
Sport has embraced that change and now puts previously unimaginable power at everybody’s fingertips. From console simulators to slot games, every corner of the market is being explored. This is clear in the fact that there are now casino comparison sites available for football fans to filter out themed slots and odds. Indeed, you only have to go to the article here to discover how the kind of bonuses sought out in football lie around every corner, from 888 Casino to Betway.
Occasionally, though, you need someone or something to provide a little clarity, which is where those that do their homework benefit.
Homework
North Queensland Fury and Perth Glory thought they had done enough homework when plucking Fowler from the deepest of talent pools but will likely feel as though they could have got more bang for their buck. There was, however, one contribution from a striker affectionately known as ‘God’ at Anfield that will live long in the memory. Robbie Fowler once registered the fastest hat-trick the Premier League had ever seen – at a little over four minutes and 30 seconds – and struck one treble during his stint in Australia.
That solitary match ball was secured in a meeting with Melbourne Victory in Perth during the 2010/11 season. It took him 71 minutes to get there, but there were no complaints from those in attendance at having to show a little patience on this occasion. Fowler remains one of the more notable imports to have turned out in the A-League, and enjoyed his time south of the equator so much that he returned in a coaching capacity at Brisbane Roar some eight years later.
There have been more notable names to have trodden that path before and since, but a man from Merseyside stands alongside some illustrious compatriots from his particular corner of the world when it comes to boasting a small part of history at HBF Park.
