Coming into the side as Ben McEvoy and David Hale were forced out through injury, Lowden was always going to be up against it facing up to West Coast's imposing ruck duo of Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui.
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But the 204cm 23-year-old still battled manfully for 13 hit-outs as the feel-good factor generated by his three goals almost outshone a superb eight-goal effort from Jarryd Roughead on a perfect afternoon for footy in Launceston - especially if you were a Hawks fan.
After kicking his third deep into the third quarter, Lowden was mobbed by his team-mates but couldn't help but wear a slightly bemused expression as he tried taking it all in.
"It’s a good story," declared Hawks stand-in coach Brendon Bolton, the man who coached Lowden at the Box Hill Hawks.
"That's what footy's about, isn't it? People get opportunities and they step up and they have to.
"Isn’t that exciting for a young bloke?
"He arrived in 2009 weighing somewhere between 75 and 80 kilograms, so he worked hard to build his frame. Our club has had to be patient and wait because bigger blokes take time, and against two quality ruckmen he held his own.
"To kick three goals, he’s going to remember that and feel that emotion."
Having survived a mighty scare from GWS last Sunday in a narrow seven-point win, the injury-hit Hawks looked to make a statement against West Coast on Saturday.
And, while they trailed by 12 points 10 minutes into the second quarter, they soon fired up to kick 11 of the next 12 goals before half-time as the Hawks re-discovered their firepower in a big way.
Bolton said Roughead had been among several leaders stung into action by the Giants game.
"A lot of our leaders were disappointed with their performance," said Bolton when asked about the response to last week.
"(Roughead is a) very proud person. (He) wasn’t happy with how he performed last week, and he’s kicked eight goals and also laid some really good tackles.
"The mix of pressure and being able to score is really important for us and it just shows the character of the man."