Born in Sydney but raised on the Gold Coast, Dowling began playing rugby league for Brighton Seagulls in Sydney before moving to the Burleigh Bears under 10's. Dowling continued playing for the Bears through his teenage years where he was a part of the Parramatta Eels development squad from 2005 to 2007.[2]
Gold Coast
A graduate of Marymount College, Dowling played for the Gold Coast TitansSG Ball side in 2008, before joining their National Youth Competition team for 2009. During his two years in the Toyota Cup, Dowling played 39 games, scored 6 tries and helped the Titans to the finals in 2010.[3]
In 2011, Dowling re-joined his junior club, Burleigh, and cemented a spot in their Queensland Cup side at fullback. He was one of the Bears most consistent players in 2011, and was rewarded with a spot in the Titans full-time training squad for 2012.
Between 2015 and 2018, Dowling played for Queensland Cup side Burleigh making 69 appearances. On 29 September 2016, Dowling was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and fined $500 after pleading guilty to possessing and supplying cocaine. The charges dated back to 2014.[5]
