Jeff Bruce

Recruited from Corowa-Rutherglen with pick 58 in the 1993 National Draft, Jeff Bruce was a versatile tall utility who showed immediate promise during the turbulent final years of the Fitzroy Football Club. He made a memorable debut in Round 9, 1995, booting three goals against the reigning premiers West Coast at Bruce Stadium in Canberra. Despite his scoring ability, his brief seven-game career is often remembered by Royboys faithful for a heartbreaking moment against Richmond at the MCG later that season; with the Lions clinging to a slender lead in the dying stages, Bruce was controversially pinged for deliberate out of bounds while under heavy pressure on the wing, a decision that resulted in a critical goal and an eventual six-point loss for Fitzroy. Following the club's merger, he moved to the WAFL and forged a successful state-league career with West Perth, notably topping the Falcons' goalkicking in 1999.