Geelong recruits Tanner Bruhn, Jack Bowes and Ollie Henry join in first official day of pre-season
They arrived at the Cats for many different reasons, but one key part of Jack Bowes and Tanner Bruhn’s shifts to Geelong was the club’s famous culture.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
They may have come to Geelong for two entirely different reasons, but one constant behind the moves of both Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes to GMHBA Stadium is the club’s famous culture.
The rose coloured glasses are at their best just after a premiership but the Cats have long been on the AFL podium as a place to work, partially thanks to the flexible nature of the player’s programs.
Only three months ago, Bowes had his mind set on playing his whole career at Gold Coast, as a Queensland boy keen to help his club rise from a slow start in the league.
After being blindsided by news he was on the trade block, and a juicy draft pick was attached to him by the Suns, clubs came calling thick and fast.
Geelong had shown interest since midway through 2022 and while Bowes may have been more likely to find gametime elsewhere, he was drawn to Kardinia Park.
The midfielder and his partner, dietitian Jasmine, lived just around the corner from Jasmine’s parents up north, but Bowes said he was ready for the move.
“I really love the community aspect of it, growing up in cairns and living on the gold coast it is such a tight community,” he said.
“The connections that run pretty deep through the community is something that appeals to me, they are obviously a pretty successful footy club with a really good culture and I was keen to learn about that and absorb that in and learn from some of the great players. I
“It just seems like an environment that works hard and there is a bit of flexibility in the program and being an older club they work hard.”
The community of Geelong runs in Bruhn’s blood.
A star junior cricketer with North Geelong and footballer with Newtown & Chilwell, Bruhn was well known in the Geelong region as a talented kid from his earliest days.
When his draftee contract ended at GWS Giants this year, he was keen to come home, but not just because it was where he grew up.
“It was probably a mix of both I reckon. Obviously the Cats are such a well-run club, they are very well known for how they go about it in the industry so I think that and also that it is close to home,” he said.
“For me it was a pretty easy choice in the end.
“We are learning from the best and that is only going to hold us in great stead, so looking forward to it.”
‘Bold’ move already paying off for Ollie Henry
Ollie Henry has described his controversial move to Geelong as “bold” but something he knew he‘d regret if he didn’t follow through with it.
In many ways it was a classic break-up of a romance with Henry saying to Collingwood it was more about me than you.
“All due respect to Collingwood I loved the time there as well, it‘s a bold move and it is something I wanted to do. If I didn’t do it I think I’d be kicking myself later down the track,” Henry said.
“This is just something I have always wanted to do and the more games I can play with a family member and all that, it just makes it so much more special.
“Ultimately it is just where I wanted to be. This club, we grew up loving the club, this is the place I have always wanted to play my footy and if I can have a career somewhere, I want it to be here.”
Tanner Bruhn, Ollie Henry and Sam De Koning at Geelong training. Picture: Cats Media
Henry denies the fact he was out of the Collingwood side throughout its finals campaign - he was dropped in favour of mature-age rookie Ash Johnson - and a so-so contract offer played a part in his decision to request a trade after two years and 25 game with the Magpies.
“To be honest it was never about money, that wouldn‘t be who I am if I did something like that,” he said.
“It was something that I had in the back of my mind for a while. But while I was there I was still focused on playing goodfooty and enjoying my time with my friends over at Collingwood.
“I loved it and it was a great time but this sat in the back of my mind and then once everything settled after the season it was time to action it.”
That took longer than Henry wanted with the stress of the drawn-out trade period driving him around the twist.
As the deadline loomed on the final day the 20-year-old retreated to the family home, just a few blocks away from Kardinia Park, and the sanctuary of a video game.
“It‘s not like watching the national draft on TV, you just wait to get a message and it can happen at any time,” he recalled.
Ollie (left) and Jack Henry will both play for Geelong in 2023. Picture: Geelong Cats Facebook
“I was actually legs up on the couch with Mum and Dad playing some Play Station taking my mind off it and I got the message midway through a FIFA game.
“It was about five minutes left (before the deadline). I turned the TV off straight and told them the news.”
His first phone call was to his older brother Jack who was overseas celebrating the Cats premiership.
“Jack was somewhere in Europe, I gave him a buzz and he was stoked. He was the first person I went to talk to and tell him.
“He never pushed for it (the return to Geelong). He always wanted me to focus on what I am doing at that time at the club I was at, to make sure I was enjoying it.
“He helped me through a lot of scenarios and it is pretty cool to now be able to have that conversation face-to-face if Iever need to instead of over the phone. I‘m just fortunate enough to have him here.”
Henry posted a thankyou message to Collingwood on Instagram and knows there will be plenty who won‘t understand his decision.He’s already got a taste of that, running into plenty of Pies fans on a recent holiday to Bali.
“It was something that I wanted people to know that I respected everyone there, this wasn‘t a choice out of spite it was a choice out of something I really wanted to do,” he said.
“I really loved the opportunity (at Collingwood) and I was grateful for it and that‘s the stuff I wanted to present to the people who might not have known the situation. I understand they probably might see it differently to me but that’s just somethingI had to deal with in making this choice.”
Oliver Henry has denied that an unsatisfactory contract offer or lack of playing time at Collingwood played a role in his trade request to Geelong. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Henry was at GMHBA Stadium for the Cats first day of pre-season on Monday alongside a familiar face, his former schoolmate Tanner Bruhn.
The pair went to St Joseph‘s College together before Bruhn moved to Geelong Grammar for the final two years of his secondary schooling.
During the trade period Bruhn also followed through on his desire to return home after two impressive seasons with the GWSGiants.
It‘s just another reason for Henry to be happy about biting the bullet to come back to the place he loves.
“Growing up I was so involved in the football club, I dreamed of it but I never thought it would become a reality to be playing for this team,” he said.
“To do it as well with my brother, who I spent many times kicking the footy across the road here, now that has become somewhat of a reality, I‘m still pinching myself.”
Bruhn sees merit in longer draftee contracts
New Cat Tanner Bruhn says he sees some merit in the idea of three-year contracts for first-round draft picks given there is “obviously that risk” of young players returning interstate after their initial AFL deals.
Bruhn was in the thick of talk about the length of draftee contracts after he successfully pushed for a trade from GWS Giants home to Geelong two years after he was selected with the No.12 pick in the AFL Draft.
His good mate and now teammate Ollie Henry went through the same process moving from Collingwood to Geelong last month after two Magpie seasons, while former No.1 draft choice Jason Horne-Francis was traded mid-contract to Port Adelaide from North Melbourne after just one year with the Roos.
Some clubs have begun pushing the AFL to up standard contracts for first-round draftees from two years to three, particularly to keep youngsters from returning home interstate.
Bruhn said the idea prompted a “good debate”.
“There are obviously quite a few opinions to it, I am not too sure where I sit on it to be honest,” he said.
“The two-year contracts, I can sort of understand why (clubs) might want to extend it to three years, there is obviously that risk with drafting interstate players. But that is up to the club and the AFL to sort out and I am happy to be home.”
Bruhn said he copped some minor flak for his effort to return home, while Henry received more vitriol from disappointed Collingwood fans.
“I don’t think I copped it as much as Ollie so I was quite happy with it,” Bruhn said.
“There are obviously people out there who have their opinions but that doesn’t seem to faze me, I had a plan to try and get home and it was able to eventuate in the end so I am really happy and not too fussed about what people say.”
Bruhn joined his new teammates for the first official day of pre-season on Monday, facing a tough task to break into Geelong’s reigning premiership side.
The tough midfielder said he wasn’t putting any pressure on himself to feature early in the season and was keen to learn as much as he could over summer.
“We are learning from the best and that is only going to hold us in good stead,” he said.
Jack Bowes opens up about being ‘gutted’ to face Gold Coast trade
Geelong recruit Jack Bowes was “gutted” when told he was on the trade block and felt some clubs only showed interest in him to land Gold Coast’s prized No.7 draft pick.
Bowes was moved on from the Suns during last month’s trade period as the club worked to shed his contract, with the Cats winning the race to secure the midfielder in a package deal with Gold Coast’s first-round draft pick.
The early pick caused a feeding frenzy with clubs across the league, with the Cats eventually swaying the 24-year-old Queensland native.
Geelong had reached out to Bowes’ management halfway through the season and laid the groundwork for the trade, as several other clubs came late once the Suns attached their draft choice to Bowes.
“I knew from the start I had a good feeling about Geelong and they had been speaking to my manager from about the halfway point of the year and I knew deep down they wanted me for me and ultimately I was splitting hairs a bit (between clubs) and that is what appealed to me the most,” he said.
“Certainly it is a business and when that becomes attached to something why wouldn’t you entertain pick seven? I guess that is why a lot of clubs came in late and my management was good at shifting through who is keen for myself and who is keen for the pick so we were able to eliminate some clubs early and got into good discussions with some other clubs.”
A Cairns native, Bowes had visions of setting the Suns up for long-term success and held a contract for the next two seasons before he was told of the plan to move him on.
The prospect of shifting interstate hit the midfielder and his partner Jasmine hard, but he came to terms with reality quickly.
“I was contracted there for another two years and I wasn’t really expecting (a trade) until the day before my exit review my manager said ‘they are looking to trade you’,” Bowes said.
“Since then it was a bit of a whirlwind and roller coaster but a pretty cool life experience.
“I had a gut feeling something was up halfway through the year. I wasn’t playing many senior games and my contract was being talked about a bit and then when it hit my I was obviously a bit disappointed and pretty gutted but at the end of the day it has all worked out pretty well.
“It is obviously hard because you have your heart and mind set on creating something pretty special up there.”
Bowes joined his teammates for the first official day of pre-season on Monday and said he was “excited to bring in a hungry mindset” to the reigning premier.
More Coverage
Originally published as Geelong recruits Tanner Bruhn, Jack Bowes and Ollie Henry join in first official day of pre-season
‘Best coin spent’: Ginni responds after giving Crows fans the bird
Jack Ginnivan is set to be the latest AFL star to cop a fine for giving a one-finger salute to the crowd — and the Hawthorn forward has already taken to social media after the incident.
Late Tex show downs Hawks as Crows prove flag credentials
In a genuine eight-point game, Adelaide stormed home in the final quarter to defeat a gallant Hawthorn in front of a packed house. See the details here.