Recruited from East Fremantle, Rowe was drafted by Brisbane as a first-round draft pick in the 1989 National Draft, no.5 overall. He played two seasons for only 14 games at the Bears before being traded to Collingwood. Rowe spent his best seasons of his career at the Pies between 1992 and 1995, as a quick goal-kicking small forward. He was accurate in front of goals, but consistency was his main problem in his later seasons. He kicked goals occasionally, including a bag of 6 goals one day at Victoria Park against Sydney. He then moved back to Perth where he played for Fremantle for one season in 1996, playing only 7 games.
