Geelong midfielder Tanner Bruhn says he never lost the desire to play AFL football after being stood down from the game for a season while facing sexual assault charges, which were withdrawn in November.
Speaking after the Cats’ narrow win over the Crows at GMHBA Stadium on Thursday night, the 23-year-old said his focus was on enjoying football, rather than dwelling on the previous 12 months.
“I don’t want to go back too far – the main focus for me is looking forward and putting the past behind me,” Bruhn said.
“It’s not just me. It’s my family that have been dealing with the last 12 months, so I’m really just looking forward to what’s ahead, and that’s where my focus will be, and [I’ll] continue to play footy and be a good brother and son and a teammate.”
Bruhn said his time away from the game made him realise just how much playing football meant to him. He emphasised just how grateful he was to the Cats, his teammates, and his family and friends for supporting him throughout 2025.
“The club have been amazing,” he said. “They have been a rock for me. I’m forever indebted to this footy club for the way they’ve handled everything and handled my situation.”
Bruhn lived for a time with Patrick Dangerfield and his family last year and then spent time on a farm away from football. He watched the grand final against the Lions from the MCG sidelines and began preparing himself for the 2026 season soon after that match.
“The main goal for me was to get back on the field,” Bruhn said.
“I threw everything I could at it and kept myself fit. We did quite a bit of training over the summer when the boys had finished. I got stuck right into it after the grand final – I knew this is where I wanted to be. It’s just nice to be back out there.”
Bruhn always denied he had done anything wrong, and the charges were withdrawn in November after a key witness admitted in court to lying.
A suppression order was lifted and Bruhn was immediately allowed to return to play, with his barrister Dermot Dann, KC, saying Bruhn “should be regarded now and forever as someone who was 100 per cent innocent.”
Bruhn said he would no longer just roll into a season but would attack each game and training session with purpose.
“It’s like anything in life when it is sort of taken away, or you don’t have it for a period of time – you get a chance to reflect, and that was my chance to reflect how much our I bloody love this game and how much I missed it last year, and that is why I don’t take it for granted,” he said.
Playing on a wing and as a running defender, he has immediately become an important part of the Cats’ line-up and finished the match with 15 touches. He also copped a knock to the head.
“I’m just so bloody pumped to enjoy my footy and be back out there,” Bruhn said.
