BRISBANE has swooped on highly rated assistant Cameron Bruce ahead of next season, meaning every member of David Teague's coaching panel from Carlton's disappointing 2021 campaign has now departed.
Bruce, an assistant at Ikon Park for the last four years and the club's forwards coach for the last two seasons, has accepted an offer to join Chris Fagan's coaching set-up at the Lions and parts ways with the Blues effective immediately.
Brisbane had been searching for an experienced assistant since Dale Tapping departed the club earlier this month, with Fagan and Bruce having a long-standing relationship from their time together at Hawthorn between 2013-16.
Bruce had been the only full-time assistant left from Teague's 2021 coaching panel since his sacking in August, though head of development Luke Power and development coaches Daniel O'Keefe and Torin Baker remain at the club.
Senior assistant John Barker departed in June after a decade with the Blues, while fellow assistants Brent Stanton and Dale Amos were also relieved of their duties at the time of Teague's sacking.
Carlton remains on the hunt for a new senior coach, with football director Greg Williams leading the search. However, several high-profile candidates – including Ross Lyon, Nathan Buckley and Brad Scott – have already pulled out of the race.
The club still views four-time premiership great Alastair Clarkson as its priority candidate after he departed Hawthorn this season, while rival assistants Michael Voss, Adam Kingsley and Daniel Giansiracusa are seen as potentially more viable options.
Bruce, a 234-game player with Melbourne and Hawthorn, spent five seasons working under Clarkson at the Hawks before joining the Blues on the eve of the 2018 campaign. He will act as the midfield coach at Brisbane from 2022.
"Cameron has compiled a very impressive resume in his time as an assistant coach," Brisbane's head of football Danny Daly said on Monday.
"He has played under and worked with some of the sharpest footy minds in the game’s history and with his determination to constantly learn and develop his own coaching, he has built a skill set that will be a great asset to our footy club.
"He's also highly respected within the industry for his ability to build relationships and we know he is going to be a great fit at the Lions."