Josh Bruce says St Kilda weren’t looking to extend his contract beyond 2020, which led to him looking away from the club and eventually securing a move to the Western Bulldogs.
Bruce joined the Bulldogs late in the trade period on a reported four-year deal after the Saints were reluctant to let the forward go.
The security of a long-term contract was something St Kilda couldn’t guarantee the 27-year-old which is ultimately the reason he opted to depart Moorabbin for The Kennel.
“They (St Kilda) weren’t necessarily open to trading me, but they weren’t also looking to extend my contract which was something that I was obviously really keen to do,” Bruce told SEN’s Time On.
“With a young family now, it’s something that’s really important to me, so we were on different wavelengths in terms of that.
“I was exploring my options, this popped up and the Saints weren’t that keen to get it through. But as they tend to do, it did get through in the end.
“They’ve potentially got one eye on the future in terms of Max King… that would be my take on it.”
Bruce has kicked over 36 goals in four of the last five seasons.
Overall, he’s booted 171 goals in 113 games for both the Saints and GWS.
Listen to Josh Bruce’s chat on SEN’s Time On in the player below