Given the year Josh Bruce produced in 2015, it’s difficult to believe St Kilda recruited him from Greater Western Sydney to play at the opposite end of the ground.

What’s even more inconceivable is the fact it cost only pick No. 48 to get the deal done with the Giants. Talk about recruiting coups.

Prior to last season, Bruce had spent the majority of his first three seasons and 24 games in a defensive key post. Despite the fact he grew up playing as a key forward, the Canberra product had been pigeonholed as defender, a world away from where he emerged as one of the best contested marking forwards in the game in 2015.

Across 22 games, Bruce booted 50.24 to finish equal 10^th in the Coleman Medal race. To give that number some more context, the Saints spearhead kicked as many goals as Jarryd Roughead, more than prized Sydney pair Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippet, as well as Tom Hawkins. All-Australian centre-half forward, Jack Riewoldt, kicked just four more goals than Bruce.

In the opening 14 rounds of the season, Bruce registered 37 majors, including a haul of six goals (Rd 2 v Gold Coast), and three bags of five (Rd 5 v Essendon, Rd 7 v Adelaide and Rd 14 v Essendon). He did slow down a tad as the year wore on, but managed to record at least one-goal per outing in all but one game for the year.

With Nick Riewoldt nearing the twilight of his career, the surprise emergence of Bruce will allow Alan Richardson to take a more measured approach with the development of young forward Paddy McCartin, to ensure the former No. 1 draft pick is gradually exposed to the game at the highest level.

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Bruce had kicked just seven goals and didn’t appear to be a potent attacking option. Now, he is an integral part of the plan in St Kilda’s rise back up the ladder.