Jordon Brunt came into the 2024 season off the back of an injury that saw him out for most of 2023. Having been widely praised by his teammates for his leadership throughout the season, Brunt found his form early in the season and has been a consistent performer.

THE YEAR OF MINDSET

As the team faced challenges in the first half of the season, Brunt notes the focus on mindset that helped keep the team in the game, inevitably pulling off the strongest end to the season of all teams in the league. “The start of the season was tough. We had never really experienced that (level of loss) so it tested the core group’s mindset. We really had to stay strong, stick to the process and believe we would be ok in the long run.”

Outside of the leadership group, Brunt praises Matt Harvey for his ability to influence the team in moments that matter and keeping the mindset of the team in check during the early weeks of the season. “You’ll see him joke around and have fun but when it’s time to get serious he can really command the room, bring everyone together and get everyone to commit to a common goal.”

TEAM CONNECTION

Brunt places some of the reasoning behind the slower start to the season down to the chemistry needing time to develop amongst the playing group. “We were so light on and then we had all of these new guys, and missing players come back all at once, it just took a little longer for everyone to start gelling and getting used to the way that different players play and who plays well with each other. It was just a matter of time. As the team continued to build on their chemistry, lines also changed, forcing the Brave to stay agile and adaptable until the perfect combinations were found.”

“It’s not always ideal but we’ve always been pretty adaptable and can change the way we play to fit in with whoever we are paired up with or on a line with. The culture we have built has always been team first and that makes those changes easier. We are playing with our mates regardless of which line we are on and that is a huge advantage for us.”

FINALS FOCUS

Reflecting on the season to date, and the focus for finals, Brunt remain quietly confident for the weekend. “This season has been a bit different to past seasons. I have never really dealt with coming back from injury but I am pretty happy with how I have played and where the team has ended up.”

“Now we just need to do the little things right, play the right way and stick to the process that we have. Personally, I just want to stay really good defensively and try to contribute to the team in any way I can.”