Cameron Bruce (born 30 September 1979) is a former professional
Australian rules footballer who played for the
Melbourne Football Club and
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...
in the
Australian Football League (AFL). He is currently serving as an assistant coach for the
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL).
The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...
. During his AFL career, he was known for his aerobic capacity and neat kicking skills.
Early life
![Cameron bruce](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Cameron_bruce.jpg)
He attended
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1905, the school caters for boys from Year 9 ...
and played for Melbourne High School Old Boys following his schooling.
Playing career
Melbourne Football Club
It was from MHSOB that he was
drafted in 1999, at the relatively old age of 20. He was Melbourne's last selection in that year's draft, taken as the club's sixth pick, and 64th overall, behind team-mates
Brad Green,
Paul Wheatley and
Matthew Whelan. At 20, and after one year in Melbourne's Junior Development Squad, he made his debut for the Demon senior side against
Richmond in Round 1 of the
2000 season, kicking a goal with his first kick in
AFL
AFL may refer to:
Sports
* American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues:
** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
football. He played in Melbourne's impressive run to the Grand Final, but had to withdraw from the final match of the season due to injury. Given the number 32 guernsey, he quickly adapted to AFL football, receiving a
Rising Star nomination in his debut season, and finishing runner-up to
David Neitz in
the club's best-and-fairest in 2002.
[The Age – Team countdown – Melbourne]
/ref> He was a member of the International Rules
International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...
sides of 2002 and 2004.
Developing his game
Bruce developed his game as a midfielder, but from 2005 he has been used in attack, across half-back and also as a tagger – the latter role seen notably through his tagging of high-profile players such as James Hird
James Albert Hird (born 4 February 1973) is a former professional Australian rules football player and past senior coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Hird played as a midfielder and half-forward, but ...
, Chris Judd
Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and captain of both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Widely regarded as one of the bes ...
, Adam Goodes
Adam Roy Goodes (born 8 January 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Goodes holds an elite place in VFL/AFL history as a dual Brownlow Medallist, d ...
and Nathan Buckley
Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972) is a former professional Australian rules football coach, player and commentator.
He is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time. Buckley won the inaugural Rising S ...
.[SportsAustralia.com – AFL 2007 Season Preview]
Because of his ability to adapt to new positions and roles within the side, versatility is often highlighted as one of his main strengths, and he has been regarded as the most versatile player in the league at various stages throughout his career. He enjoyed a solid run of form in 2004, which he managed 34 goals for the year, including a seven-goal haul against Carlton in round six. He carried the form through to the 2005 season – enjoying a particularly fruitful period early in the season – before suffering a serious shoulder injury sustained from a heavy tackle which ended his season prematurely.
Established player
In 2006, he played a pivotal role in Melbourne's eight-game winning run, which came on the back of losing their first three matches of the season. He kicked the winning goal against Sydney in round 4 and received 10 Brownlow votes throughout the season, his most in a season to date. He finished second in the club's best-and-fairest and had one of his more consistent seasons – he was one of only two players to average more than 22 disposals and kick more than 20 goals for the season. (The other was Chris Judd.) The 2007 season was hugely disappointing for Melbourne, where they were unable to convert narrow losses into wins and being outclassed on other occasions. Bruce celebrated his 150-game milestone in Round 4, and averaged 24 possessions for the season. He achieved a career-high of 35 possessions against the Kangaroos
Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
in Round 9, but his goal tally was well down on previous seasons, kicking just nine majors for the season. His preparations for the 2008 season were hampered by injuries suffered in pre-season, but he was selected in Round 1 and played in the first fourteen matches of the season for Melbourne. New Demons coach Dean Bailey used Bruce chiefly in defence in the early stages of the season, where he picked up Brad Johnson and Cameron Mooney among others. Bailey handed Bruce a more attacking role during the middle of the season, generally playing either off half-back as a rebounding defender, or on the wing. Bruce kicked two goals in all three of Melbourne's wins for the season. He played in all 22 of Melbourne's matches for the season (the only Demon player to do so) and averaged more than 24 disposals per game. He won Melbourne's best-and-fairest for the season, polling 75 votes – 15 more than second-place Brock McLean
Brock "Chooka" McLean (born 11 March 1986) is an Australian rules footballer who played with the Melbourne Football Club and the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Early life
McLean played his underage football w ...
.[Holmesby, L]
Bruce wins best and fairest
, ''MelbourneFC.com.au'', 2 October 2008, accessed 3 October 2008.
Melbourne leader
Following the retirement of David Neitz in 2008, Bruce was named co-captain of the team alongside James McDonald for the remainder of the season. This came on the back of his role in the leadership group in 2007. McDonald was named as permanent captain for 2009, with Bruce as vice-captain. Bruce resumed his place in the midfield for 2009 and rotated equally between the forward- and back-flanks. He recorded 30 disposals and nine marks against Collingwood in Round 2. He kicked the 200th goal of his career in a 22-point loss to Hawthorn
Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to:
Plants
* '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae
* ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
in Round 9. Bruce played his 200th game in round 16, 2009.
Hawthorn
In November 2010, it was reported that Bruce had been training with the Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...
, after being given permission by the AFL. Bruce was subsequently drafted by the Hawks with the fifth selection in the pre-season draft. A few hours after he had been drafted by the Hawks, Bruce had revealed on SEN, a Melbourne-based sports-talkback radio station, that he had already been handed the number 17 guernsey, made famous by Hawthorn legend, Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck (born 24 June 1953) is a seven-time premiership-winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL).
His 426 career games was a VFL/ ...
.
Midway through the 2012 season, Bruce announced his retirement from football, citing a persistent back injury as the cause. He retired having played 234 AFL games, including 10 with the Hawks, and kicked 211 goals.
Coaching career
Hawthorn Football Club
Bruce was appointed as an assistant coach in the role of development coach with the Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...
in 2013 under senior coach Alastair Clarkson
Alastair Thomas Clarkson (born 27 April 1968) is an Australian rules football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the North Melbourne Football Club. He was previously the head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the ...
. After impressing in his role as a development coach, he was promoted to a senior assistant coach with the Hawks in late 2013. On 22 August 2017, it was announced that Bruce would leave Hawthorn at the end of the 2017 season to become a senior assistant coach at Carlton.
Carlton Football Club
At the end of the 2017 season, Bruce joined the Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition.
Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Me ...
as senior assistant coach under senior coach Brendon Bolton. At the end of the 2021 season, Bruce left the Carlton Football Club due to a clean-out at the club, after an extensive review of the club's football operations.
Brisbane Lions
On 20 September 2021, it was announced that Bruce had joined Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL).
The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...
as an assistant coach in the position of midfield coach under senior coach Chris Fagan.
Statistics
, - style=background:#EAEAEA
, 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, , , , 32
, 19 , , 22 , , 13 , , 110 , , 78 , , 188 , , 54 , , 14 , , 1.2 , , 0.7 , , 5.8 , , 4.1 , , 9.9 , , 2.8 , , 0.7 , , 0
, -
, 2001 , , , , 32
, 22 , , 31 , , 18 , , 148 , , 105 , , 253 , , 81 , , 34 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 6.7 , , 4.8 , , 11.5 , , 3.7 , , 1.5 , , 0
, - style=background:#EAEAEA
, 2002 , , , , 32
, 24 , , 20 , , 11 , , 216 , , 152 , , 368 , , 121 , , 47 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 9.0 , , 6.3 , , 15.3 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , 0
, -
, 2003 , , , , 32
, 20 , , 25 , , 18 , , 205 , , 137 , , 342 , , 101 , , 34 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 10.3 , , 6.9 , , 17.1 , , 5.1 , , 1.7 , , 8
, - style=background:#EAEAEA
, 2004 , , , , 32
, 22 , , 34 , , 23 , , 229 , , 199 , , 428 , , 99 , , 81 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 10.4 , , 9.0 , , 19.5 , , 4.5 , , 3.7 , , 9
, -
, 2005 , , , , 32
, 15 , , 20 , , 14 , , 167 , , 93 , , 260 , , 73 , , 27 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 11.1 , , 6.2 , , 17.3 , , 4.9 , , 1.8 , , 8
, - style=background:#EAEAEA
, 2006 , , , , 32
, 24 , , 21 , , 19 , , 303 , , 234 , , 537 , , 175 , , 100 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 12.6 , , 9.8 , , 22.4 , , 7.3 , , 4.2 , , 10
, -
, 2007 , , , , 32
, 16 , , 9 , , 14 , , 194 , , 183 , , 377 , , 96 , , 66 , , 0.6 , , 0.9 , , 12.1 , , 11.4 , , 23.6 , , 6.0 , , 4.1 , , 5
, - style=background:#EAEAEA
, 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, , , , 32
, 22 , , 13 , , 12 , , 244 , , 287 , , 531 , , 147 , , 77 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 11.1 , , 13.0 , , 24.1 , , 6.7 , , 3.5 , , 2
, -
, 2009 , , , , 32
, 19 , , 9 , , 8 , , 213 , , 266 , , 479 , , 114 , , 58 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 11.2 , , 14.0 , , 25.2 , , 6.0 , , 3.1 , , 0
, - style=background:#EAEAEA
, 2010 , , , , 32
, 21 , , 6 , , 7 , , 210 , , 304 , , 514 , , 116 , , 73 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 10.0 , , 14.5 , , 24.5 , , 5.5 , , 3.5 , , 4
, -
, 2011 , , , , 17
, 9 , , 1 , , 4 , , 67 , , 95 , , 162 , , 50 , , 28 , , 0.1 , , 0.4 , , 7.4 , , 10.6 , , 18.0 , , 5.6 , , 3.1 , , 0
, - style=background:#EAEAEA
, 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
, , , , 17
, 1 , , 0 , , 0 , , 4 , , 4 , , 8 , , 2 , , 0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.0 , , 4.0 , , 8.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 0
, - class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3, Career
! 234 !! 211 !! 161 !! 2310 !! 2137 !! 4447 !! 1229 !! 639 !! 0.9 !! 0.7 !! 9.9 !! 9.1 !! 19.0 !! 5.3 !! 2.7 !! 46
Honours and achievements
Team
* Minor premiership (): 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
Individual
* Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal
The Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player(s) adjudged the best and fairest at the Melbourne Football Club throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League (VF ...
: 2008
* Melbourne captain: 2008
* Australian international rules football team: 2002, 2004
* AFL Rising Star nominee: 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
References
External links
*
DemonWiki profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Cameron
1979 births
Living people
Melbourne Football Club players
Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners
People educated at Melbourne High School
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia)
Melbourne High School Old Boys Football Club players
Hawthorn Football Club players
Box Hill Football Club players
Australia international rules football team players