Bruce Reville isn’t actually being booed – fans are stretching out his name and chanting “Bruuuuuce,” which just sounds like booing, especially on TV or from a distance. It’s meant as a positive chant and is part of his growing cult-hero status with Brisbane Lions supporters, both at the Gabba and in Melbourne where lots of Lions/Fitzroy fans turn up.

Quick Scoop: What’s Really Going On?

Not boos, a drawn-out chant

When Bruce Reville gets the ball, large sections of Lions fans call out his name in a long, drawn-out way: “Bruuuuuce.”

Because the crowd sound is low and drawn out, it’s easy to mistake it for normal booing, especially if you don’t know the context or you’re hearing it through broadcast audio.

You see similar things with other players whose names sound like “boo,” where crowds have done long-name chants for years.

Why it sounds so loud (even away)

  • Many old Fitzroy fans still support Brisbane and turn up in big numbers at Melbourne games, so the chant can be very loud at the MCG or other Victorian grounds.
  • There are also plenty of Queenslanders living in Melbourne who go to Lions matches, adding to the volume of the “Bruuuce” call.
  • On TV, crowd mics tend to pick up these deep, drawn-out noises strongly, which makes the chant sound even more like a boo.

His “cult hero” status

Reville has a working-class, grind-it-out story: he spent time working at an abattoir and driving forklifts, then shifted to more flexible work so he could chase his AFL dream. After injuries and setbacks, he broke through at Brisbane, and now the “Bruce” chant has become part of the regular Gabba experience whenever he’s involved in the play.

In other words, the crowd noise you’re hearing is a cheer disguised as a boo – a loud, drawn-out “Bruuuuuce” for a fan favourite, not hostile booing.

TL;DR: Bruce Reville gets “Bruuuuuce’d,” not booed – it’s a loud, drawn- out chant of his name from Brisbane Lions fans, celebrating him as a cult hero, but it sounds like booing if you don’t know the context.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.