WHEN the cameras panned to Tanner Bruhn during the NAB AFL Draft, the teenager quickly had social media talking for all the wrong reasons.
GWS had just called Bruhn's name at pick No.12, but rather than explode into ecstasy the reserved youngster was caught in a deadpan expression.
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The immediate assumption was the youngster was disappointed with his destination, but on Thursday a grinning Bruhn said he was anything but.
"A few people have said that - that I may have looked a bit angry or whatever," Bruhn said.
"But I'm so happy - it's such a good outcome and it was more shock than anything ... I'm pretty reserved so my emotion probably didn't show but I'm just so happy."
On draft night, Bruhn spoke to GWS coach Leon Cameron, captain Stephen Coniglio and fellow Giants Lachie Whitfield and Phil Davis, while a FaceTime with Toby Greene followed on Thursday.
"Seeing Leon and Stephen's face when they popped up on the video screen - it was pretty surreal," he said.
"I had no idea who was behind the camera but when they were there, I was like 'wow'.
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"That's when it became a bit more real for me that it was happening - so I was over the moon."
Bruhn will spend the rest of the week packing for his flight to Sydney on Sunday, where he'll be joined by a familiar face - fellow GWS draftee and his former Geelong Falcons teammate Cameron Fleeton.
The classy inside midfielder is ready to play footy again after a knee injury ruined his 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic scuppered his 2020 plans.
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"Obviously I missed a bit of last year so I was hoping to increase my stocks this year but with that cut short it was pretty challenging," he said.
"But I'm on a list now and that was my dream - so I'll do whatever I can do to have an impact and achieve what I can."
