The team's captain was given the honour at a dinner last Thursday. It came after he and his side were given official recognition by the NRL at the National Rugby League Museum earlier in the day for their memorable win in the inaugural competition. 

Dowling now joins a list of players to win the player of the series award that almost reads like a who’s who of rugby league in Australia.

“It’s unreal ... great really. It obviously would have been great if it could have been presented 40 years ago. Now, it has finally come to fruition,” he said. 

“There are some great names there including Peter Sterling, Steve Rogers, Wally Lewis, Ray Price and Benny Elias. It’s a pretty big group of people to be involved with.”

NRL chief executive officer Dave Smith and current Australian Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens – whose Penrith side Dowling defeated in the Cup final – were on hand for the Bathurst man’s award.

Dowling was chosen as the winner by a group of officials and media closely tied to the event – a choice made by the NRL as a ‘retrospective award to bring completion to an historic achievement’.

Dowling thought he would be hard- pressed to be picked for the award over fellow playmaker Robbie Pilon, who was named man of the match in both the semi-final and final of the competition.

There was little argument against Dowling’s selection by the panel though as man of the series.

He scored at least a point in all four matches Western Division played for a team-high total of 16. He also scored all  of Western Division’s six points in their 6-2 win over Penrith in the final.

“There was over 20,000 people in attendance there at Leichardt Oval, they had to throw the gates open there just before the start. There was such a huge crowd. It was a brilliant night and a great year for rugby league,” Dowling said.

“It could have been recognised, though not saying it should have been, a lot better on the night than what they did ... but back when we won it I don’t think local clubs, the division or Country realised what we had done in that day and age.”

On their way to victory Western Division defeated an Auckland side that contained nine New Zealand internationals, bested a Canterbury side who would go on to be that season’s premiers, got the edge over a Manly side who were two-time defending premiers, before putting aside Penrith in their own first major finals appearance.

It’s an effort from a side that’s gone down in history, a team who were only brought into the competition as a replacement for a Queensland team who withdrew.

Dowling also paid credit to the years he spent in Group 10 in the lead-up to the famous Amco Cup win.

He helped steer his local St Pat’s side to their maiden premiership in 1968 before, doing the same as captain-coach in 1973.

“I’ve had a couple of wins in my time. A lot of other players aren’t that fortunate. They can play for years and years and never win one, but I was lucky enough to be a part of those two wins,” he said.

The message on the framed certificate that all playing members received on Thursday best tells the scale of what Dowling and his men achieved: “Never again will a ‘bunch of bushies’ conquer the elite ‘city’ sides in this way.”