Josh Bruce Details His Long, Hard Road Back To Footy From A Torn ACL

On Triple M Footy

Western Bulldogs key forward Josh Bruce detailed his long, harrowing road back to footy from a torn ACL on Triple M Footy’s coverage of Essendon v Gold Coast on Sunday.

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"It was pretty harrowing down in the rooms, there was no one there because of covid," Bruce said of the immediate aftermath of the incident.

"There was no crowd here, so it was pretty rough. Then we were in lockdown, so I had surgery... so [I was] pretty isolated.

"Then obviously the boys went to Tassie (for the elimination final against Essendon), then went to Brisbane (for a semi-final against the Lions), then went to Perth (for the grand final against Melbourne), so I missed all of that, that was pretty difficult times as well."

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Bruce also spoke about how challenging the rehabilitation journey was.

"I initially had a lot of bone bruising in my knee from surgery and from previous surgeries, so it was really hard to get going, especially to run," he said.

"It felt like every time I took a step forward I’d take two steps back.

"So I popped a hammy in January, I needed a second surgery just as I was about to come back and play because I had a big cyst in my tibia, and then I did another hammy after the comeback game in the VFL.

"So it’s been challenging, it’s certainly been one of the best learning experiences in my life, but there’s been a lot of positives out of it.

"I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with my family, with my young fella, a lot of time at home which has just been super special, and it’s time that I’d probably never get back, which is great.

"I've developed a passion for coaching and coached the AFLW girls, so there’s a lot of positives to come out of it, but it’s certainly one of the most challenging things I’ve been through."