For nearly a year, few knew Geelong’s Tanner Bruhn had been sidelined while quietly fighting rape charges that were dropped in a Victorian court on Tuesday.
The secrecy was due to a court-imposed suppression order that prevented any public reference to the case.
The order meant the AFL and Geelong Football Club were legally unable to explain why one of the team’s key midfielders had vanished from the side.
Throughout the season, the club continued to release routine injury and fitness updates.
In March, shortly after he was charged, Bruhn was listed as having a finger injury that didn’t require surgery, but meant he had to wear a splint to assist recovery.
That report was accurate, but it also served as the only public mention of Bruhn while the case played out behind closed doors – and a finger that wasn’t hurt badly enough to require an operation has never kept an AFL star off the field for long.
Tanner Bruhn, pictured left during the 2023 Mad Monday celebrations, had sexual charges struck out in court this week
It ends a year that Bruhn’s lawyer has described as a ‘nightmare’ as Bruhn was stood down by the club and missed the Cats’ run to the grand final
The club did not break any rules by including him in its regular medical updates.
Officials followed every direction set by the court.
In a statement on Tuesday, Geelong confirmed it had complied with the suppression order and supported Bruhn throughout the ordeal.
‘Until today, a court imposed suppression order has been in place for the duration of these legal proceedings prohibiting any public comment,’ the statement said.
‘While legal proceedings have been ongoing, the Club has provided professional welfare to Tanner during this time and will continue to do so.
‘Tanner will return to the football program for the start of pre-season training.’
The AFL said it stood Bruhn down early this year after he was charged, barring him from playing or training at any level until the case was resolved.
That order remained in place until the charges were withdrawn in the Geelong Magistrates Court this week.
Media could not report on the reasons behind Bruhn being stood down because of a court-ordered suppression order
AFL fans have questioned why Bruhn was allowed on the field with Geelong teammates straight after their grand final loss to the Lions in September (pictured)
While banned from football, Bruhn spent much of the year working on a farm in country Victoria, performing basic labour tasks away from the public eye.
He also trained privately on the Gold Coast to maintain his fitness.
Before the charges were dropped, Bruhn briefly appeared in public at the MCG following Geelong’s grand final loss to Brisbane.
Although he was not permitted to play or train under AFL rules, he was filmed and photographed standing with his teammates on the field straight after the match.
That moment, unnoticed by most at the time, became a heated topic online.
Numerous angry reactions appeared from fans who had heard about the allegations despite the legal restrictions.
Many questioned why a player who had missed the entire season was suddenly in club colours after the grand final, with some commenters who had somehow heard about Bruhn’s legal predicament referencing it as they voiced their anger.
Neither the AFL nor Geelong could explain Bruhn’s presence that day, as both organisations were still bound by the suppression order and legally unable to refer to the case.
Bruhn worked as a farm hand and trained on the Gold Coast during his exile from the club
Bruhn (pictured right with Geelong great Patrick Dangerfield, in black jacket) is now free to return to training with his teammates and could return to the AFL in 2026
The AFL has defended its handling of the matter, stating that its stand-down policy was correctly applied.
‘Mr Bruhn was stood down from playing at any level of Australian Football, which remained in place until the charges were withdrawn,’ the league said.
His lawyer, Anna Balmer, said Bruhn had been through a nightmare.
‘Tanner is innocent. He was falsely accused of these crimes,’ she said.
‘He is understandably upset that he had to go through a court process at all, and that it took a year to get here.
‘Tanner wants to put this nightmare behind him and get on with playing football.’
Bruhn’s manager Paul Connors said the player was determined to rebuild his career after a lost season.
‘After an extremely challenging year, Tanner is eager to put this nightmare behind him and focus on reigniting his football career,’ Connors said.
‘The Geelong Football Club has been amazing in its support and in particular Mark Worthington, who has been a rock for him throughout the entire process.’
