Neville Bruns

Neville Bruns
Personal information
Date of birth (1958-10-03) 3 October 1958 (age 66)
Original team(s) Leitchville
Debut Round 7: 13 May 1978, Geelong vs. Melbourne, at VFL Park
Height 176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 77 kg (170 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1978–1992 Geelong 223 (174)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1992.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Neville Bruns (born 3 October 1958) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian/Australian Football League for Geelong Football Club.[1][2] He wore the number 19 during his tenure at the club and played often in the wing and rover positions. From 1978 to 1992 he played 223 games (including the 1989 and 1992 Grand Finals) and kicked 174 goals. He received a total of 33 Brownlow votes in his career.

In 1985, Leigh Matthews infamously king hit Bruns and broke his jaw. Although no reports were made at the time, the Victorian Football League (VFL) Commissioners subsequently investigated the incident, found Matthews to be responsible and deregistered him for four weeks. Matthews then faced a criminal charge of assault, to which he pleaded guilty, and was fined $1,000. This resulted in much debate over the role of the police in sporting incidents.[3][4]

Neville Bruns formerly worked as the Victorian State Manager for Sportsco and was also the National Operations Manager for an Australian trade and industrial tool retailer, Total Tools. He is now retired and lives with his wife Karen in the Geelong area.

Neville Bruns also worked as a teacher at Geelong College in the 1980s.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ "19 Neville Bruns". Geelong Football Club. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  2. ^ "AFL Tables – Neville Bruns". Archived from the original on 21 March 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  3. ^ Pierik, Jon (30 July 2013). "Matthews charge 'still mystery'". The Age. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Leigh Matthews still feels guilt over Neville Bruns hit". Geelong Advertiser. 17 April 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Appointments to Staff" (PDF). Ad Astra. The Geelong College. June 1980. p. 2. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  6. ^ "FOOTBALLERS VFL/AFL (Australian Rules) Post-1897". Heritage Guide to The Geelong College. The Geelong College. Retrieved 30 September 2017.


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