Kowal however spent much of his career at Melbourne as a defender and until 1997 was selected regularly in the seniors. His 1996 season, in which he played all 22 games, is remembered for a physical confrontation he had with a Richmond runner and their coach Robert Walls during a match.[3] Both Kowal and Walls were fined after the incident.
After spending much of 1998 in the reserves he broke into the senior side and played some of his best football late in the season. He took part in Melbourne's finals campaign that year and celebrated his 100th game with a win over Adelaide at the MCG in 1999, his last season.
From 2000 to 2005, Kowal played once more for Claremont and spent a period of time as club captain.[4]