Anthony Bruhn is making the round trip from one side of Port Phillip Bay to the other three times a week to succeed in the Peter Jackson VFL. The 27-year-old Footscray forward has enjoyed a distinguished local football career in Melbourne’s south-east but was prepared to travel far westwards in order to take his football to the next level in 2017.
Having played in the Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL since 2010, Bruhn took some advice from Frankston YCW teammate and current Bulldogs player Anthony Barry last year and decided to see what he could achieve in an elite environment.
The teacher by profession quickly found himself in the role of student, needing time to feel comfortable with the “immense” changes at Footscray in terms of required body preparation and game play.
But 186cm Bruhn has now broken through for eight VFL matches and is averaging 10 disposals, three marks and almost two goals per game.
“I thought I’d be able to play at VFL level but it wasn’t anything I was driven to target in the last few years,” Bruhn said. “I’d been very career-focused and footy was an added thing in my life.
“It wasn’t until later last year when I was speaking to Anthony Barry and he was saying there’s so much more I could get out of my football. He did it (joined the VFL) at my age and he made me really start to think I could do this and that I was willing to give an enormous amount of time to get there.
“I’ve been fortunate to play in some successful teams (in the MPNFL) and I haven’t been chasing a flag for a few years. That motivation had petered away and I felt there was a lot more I could get out of myself, and it’s shown in the last eight months at Footscray. I’ve already played more games than I thought I would.”
