As has become customary at the Gabba, Reville was treated to a loud ‘Bruce’ shout from the pro-Lions section of the crowd every time he touched the ball in his side’s 28-point win over Richmond.
It’s all part of the growing phenomenon that is the 24-year-old football journeyman, who was born in Papua New Guinea, grew up in Cairns and Maryborough before finding his way into the Lions Academy via QAFL club Sherwood, and last year the AFL.
And it’s part of Reville’s private crusade to keep alive the name ‘Bruce’, which emanates from the famous ‘Robert the Bruce’, King of Scotland from 1306-1329.
He is the only ‘Bruce’ to play for Brisbane, the only ‘Bruce’ to play in the AFL this century, and one of just 71 players named ‘Bruce’ among 13,211 AFL players all-time.
So rare has been his Christian name in the AFL that Fremantle, Gold Coast, GWS, Port Adelaide and West Coast have never fielded a ‘Bruce’.
And despite having played just 15 AFL games, the Brisbane #38 has gone past 38 of his namesakes to sit 33rd on the all-time Bruce games list, which includes nine 100-gamers, two 200-gamers and the greatest all-time Bruce – Carlton 356-gamer and AFL Team of the Century member Bruce Doull.
Geelong 253-gamer Bruce Nankervis is #2 on the Bruce games list ahead of Carlton Team of the Century defender Bruce Comben (188), interstate cricketer turned St.Kilda captain and Western Bulldogs recruit Bruce Duperouzel 165), dual Geelong premiership player Bruce Morrison (130), Carlton/Western Bulldogs defender Bruce Reid Jnr (119), Richmond 1980 premiership captain Bruce Monteath (118), St.Kilda Hall of Famer Bruce Phillips (115) and Bruce Abernethy, a former Collingwood and North Melbourne wingman who was a key signing with the Adelaide Crows for their 1991 entry to the AFL. He played 112 games.
Doull, a 1972-79-81-82 premiership player who had one year as a part-time defensive coach with the Brisbane Bears under Robert Walls, leads the all-time ‘Bruce’ vote-count in the Brownlow Medal and the AFL premiership honor roll.
He is one of three people named ‘Bruce’ in the AFL Hall of Fame. The others are TV commentator Bruce McAvaney and Bruce Andrew MBE, a Collingwood premiership player in 1928 and ’34 in a playing career of just 67 games before becoming one of the game’s great administrators.
Also a television commentator, Andrew had such an influence on the code in Queensland through the 1950s and ‘60s he is also a member of the Queensland Football Hall of Fame.
Other players named ‘Bruce’ to win an AFL premiership have been Fitzroy’s Bruce Calverley (1944), Essendon’s Bruce Waite (1965), and Hawthorn’s Bruce Stevenson (1971).
Monteath leads the all-time ‘Bruce’ goal-kicking with 198 from Duperouzel (184) and Geelong/Adelaide 85-gamer Bruce Lindner (166).
There have also been seven AFL players with the surname ‘Bruce’, including ex-Melbourne/Hawthorn midfielder turned current Lions assistant-coach Cameron Bruce.
The 234-gamer played most games among this group from George Bruce, who played 181 games with Carlton from 1903-13 and was a 1906-07-08 premiership player, and 163-game GWS-St.Kilda-Bulldogs key forward Josh Bruce.
Reville, now with 13 wins and a draw from 15 AFL games, had only played at the Gabba (8-0), Adelaide Oval (1-1-0), Perth Stadium (1-0) and Docklands (2-1) prior to his first outing at headquarters on Saturday.
It was a day to remember as the Lions beat Richmond at the MCG for the first time since 2009, and part of another outstanding weekend for Queensland football, with Brisbane and Gold Coast now two of three unbeaten sides.
And the MCG crowd of 42,578 was the biggest of his career.
Also in the Brisbane side, Jaspa Fletcher, looking all class in the #3 jumper worn previously by Lions champion Michael Voss and more recently 2024 premiership hero Joe Daniher, had a career-best 23 possessions and kicked a beautiful long running goal playing primarily across half back.
It was the first time in 45 games Fletcher has topped 20 possessions and saw him pick up three votes for the Coach’s Association Player of the Year – his first votes in the coveted award.
Will Ashcroft continued his brilliant start to the year with 24 possessions and two goals, including a contender for ‘Goal of the Year’ with a 35m dribble-kick from the boundary line, and picked up five coaches votes. He was ranked behind only teammates Hugh McCluggage and Lachie Neale.
And Levi Ashcroft, with 22 possessions and a goal, earned the Round 4 nomination for the Telstra AFL Rising Star Award.
In the Suns camp, Jed Walter kicked a career-best three goals in the Suns’ heart-stopping one-point win over Adelaide at People First Stadium, and the crucial point shortly before full-time which in the end was the difference.
And Bodhi Uwland, forced to play ‘tall’ in the absence of the injured Charlie Ballard, stood up as the Suns looked to combat the dangerous Crows forward trio of Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty and received five coaches votes. He was rated behind only best afield Thilthorpe and teammate Daniel Rioli.
The Bulldogs’ Oskar Baker had 20 possessions in his side’s loss to Fremantle in Perth – his first 20-plus game since Round 12 2023 – but found himself in trouble with the Match Review Officer. He was given a one-match ban for rough conduct.
SUBMITTED BY PETER BLUCHER