Western Bulldogs key forward Josh Bruce says said he is confident the forward-line will be able to cover his absence in the interim.
Eight months on since the 29-year-old suffered an ACL injury in the dying minutes of his 150th career game, Bruce said he is eyeing a return to AFL in the back half of the 2022 Toyota Premiership season.
“I feel like there’s still a role there for me in the forward line - I’m surrounded by extremely talented forwards, but they’re obviously really young as well,” Bruce told Dwayne Russell on the Bulldogs’ SEN Membership Day.
“It is a lot of responsibility falling on Naughty’s shoulders, but I think we have got some really good guys coming through, and even guys like Zaine Cordy - he’s a premiership centre half-forward already, so has achieved more than I ever have.
“We definitely should be able to handle the load for the first half of the season, and then I can hopefully come in during the back half.
“One thing we do have an abundance of is those taller midfielders – Mitch Hannan has had an incredible pre-season.
“I know that’s a real cliché at this time of year but he’s been really, really strong up forward.
“You’ve then got the Bont, and Dunks who are all around that 190cm, so it’ll be interesting to see how the start of the season turns out for the boys.”
Bruce was full of praise for youngster Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, tempering expectations for the 19-year-old’s on-field impact.
“Jamarra is doing all the right things to become a great player, but these things take time especially playing as a key forward in the AFL,” Bruce said.
“There’s not too many guys that come in and play well straight away or have the influence that they would like to have playing that position.
“When you’re 18 or 19 it can be pretty hard to fight through (those bigger-bodied defenders) too – I’ve been working closely with Jamarra, and I’ve got nothing but great words to say about him.”
Bruce has kept busy this AFL pre-season, taking on a development coaching role with the Bulldogs’ AFLW program.
“I’m really enjoying it actually. With my program, the women’s program and obviously having two kids at home - it’s been a pretty busy couple of months,” he said.
“It’s starting to wind down now towards the end of the season – we’ve still got a sniff to make the finals if Collingwood lose (and we beat Brisbane) but I’ve really enjoyed it.
“It’s been really refreshing to observe the game especially from up in the box – I feel like when I do return to AFL footy, I’m going to find different aspects of the game a little bit easier and be able to understand things from a different perspective.
“It’s something I definitely want to continue to pursue in the future post-career, whenever that is.”
