Tanner Bruhn is confident that a year under his belt in the Hoops will place him well to have a more significant impact on the Geelong midfield in 2024.
By his admission, the 21-year-old was slow to adjust to his new football home after two years with the GWS Giants.
This was highlighted by an appearance in the Cats’ VFL team early in the 2023 season.
“It was nice to settle in … and come back home and find my feet a bit,” Bruhn said during a Community Camp visit to Warrnambool Primary School this (Wednesday) morning.
“It probably took longer than I anticipated, but I’m feeling really confident with the boys and the playing group.
“The coaches are supporting us all, and I’m really confident for this year and where we’ll get to.”
Bruhn was forced to accept more responsibility in the midfield following a toe injury suffered by 2022 joint best-and-fairest Cam Guthrie that kept him out of the AFL team after Round 6.
After averaging 13 disposals in his first three appearances for Geelong, Bruhn improved that figure to 17 when he returned to the team in Round 7, including a season-best 23 in the Round 20 loss to Fremantle.
However, he’s looking forward to having Guthrie back at the coalface for the Cats.
“It showed last year how important he is to our side,” Bruhn said.
“When he’s not in there, there are other players who stand up, but he’s quite hard to replace, Guth.
“He’s had an amazing pre-season – he’s fit, he’s firing, and he’ll be ready to go this year, for sure.”
CATS: FORWARD PUSHES CASE FOR DRAFTEE DEBUT
As he enters his fourth AFL season, fitness has been a focus for Bruhn, while he’s also enjoyed working closely with emerging big man Toby Conway.
However, he wasn’t buying into a discussion on whether Conway will usurp veteran Rhys Stanley as the Cats’ starting ruck.
“It’s obviously hard to tell, but I think both Rhys and Toby complement each other quite well,” Bruhn said.
“They’re going to work well this year, and they’re going to need each other throughout the year.
“It’s hard to give you an answer on who’s going to play or not, but I think they’re going to work very well together.”
X: @krockfootball
