Cameron Bruce
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| Personal information | |
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| Birth | October 1, 1979 , |
| Recruited from | MHSOB, (VAFA) |
| Height and weight | 190cm / 85kg |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 1, March 8, 2000, Melbourne vs. Richmond, at Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Team(s) | Melbourne (2000-)
162 games, 182 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2007 season | |
| Career highlights | |
*AFL Rising Star nominee 2000
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Cameron Bruce (born October 1, 1979) is a professional Australian rules football player, currently playing for the Melbourne Demons. He attended Melbourne High School and played for Melbourne High School Old Boys following his schooling. It was from MHSOB that he was drafted in 1999, at the relatively older 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 current team-mates Brad Green, Paul Wheatley and Matthew Whelan.[1]
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[edit] Early days at Melbourne
At 21, and after one year in Melbourne's Junior Development Squad, he made his debut for the Demon's senior side against Richmond in Round 1 of the 2000 season, kicking a goal with his first kick in AFL football. Given the number 32 guernsey, he quickly adapted to AFL football and was runner-up to David Neitz in the club's best-and-fairest in 2002.[2]
[edit] Developing his game
Bruce developed his game as a midfielder, but in recent years 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, Chris Judd, Adam Goodes and Nathan Buckley.[3] Because of his ability to adapt to new positions and roles within the side, versatility is often highlighted as one of his main strengths,[4][5] and he has been regarded as the most versatile player in the league at various stages throughout his career.[6][7] He enjoyed a solid run of form in 2004, which he carried 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.[8]
[edit] Recent seasons
In 2006, Bruce 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.[9] 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.)[10] The 2007 season was hugely disappointing for Melbourne, where they were unable to convert narrow losses in to 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 in Round 9, but his goal tally was well down on previous seasons, kicking just nine majors for the season.[11] 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 three matches of the season for Melbourne. New Demons coach Dean Bailey has used Bruce chiefly in defence in the early stages of 2008, where he has picked up Brad Johnson and Cameron Mooney among others.
He is known by fans of The NRL Footy Show for doing "That's Gold!" after scoring a goal against Collingwood in the traditional Queen's Birthday fixture in 2005. Bruce is often nicknamed "Cameron The Bruce", particularly by commentator Rex Hunt.
[edit] References
- ^ October 1999 Draft Results
- ^ The Age - Team countdown - Melbourne
- ^ SportsAustralia.com - AFL 2007 Season Preview
- ^ Player Profiles - Melbourne FC - Cameron Bruce
- ^ The Age - Team countdown - Melbourne
- ^ NavSports - AFL 2007 Preview
- ^ SportsAustralia.com - AFL 2007 Season Preview
- ^ AFL to tackle hidden joint toll - Chip le Grand
- ^ Footy Wire: AFL Statistics - Cameron Bruce career stats
- ^ AFL 2007 - Cameron Burce, Yahoo!7 Sports
- ^ Cameron Bruce AFL Profile - Footy Wire: AFL Statistics
[edit] External links
- Cameron Bruce profile on the Official AFL Website of the Melbourne Football Club
- Cameron Bruce's statistics from AFL Tables
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