Cameron Ellis-Yolmen Biography

Mitch Robinson tells of the moment when Cam Ellis-Yolmen told him he was stepping away from football due to the AFL's COVID-19 vaccination policy.

"His first words were like … 'I'm going to step away from football for a while and sort everything out'," Robinson recounts.

"For him to say he was retiring, and he's only 28, he's so young, it’s not because of injury it's because of personal choice. He's passionate about football and to see him and hear his voice, he was really sad."

Cam Ellis-Yolmen is ineligible to train or play with Brisbane after failing to meet the AFL's COVID-19 requirements.

All AFL and AFLW players and football staff at Queensland, South Australian and West Australian clubs needed to have their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to continue attending club facilities.

Brisbane released a statement on Friday confirming Ellis-Yolmen would be moved to the inactive list, revealing he made an unsuccessful submission to the AFL for an exemption.

Brisbane select Cameron Ellis-Yolmen with pick No.14 in the 2021 Rookie Draft.

Lions coach Chris Fagan says Cam Ellis-Yolmen must work harder away from the contest to force his way into Brisbane's midfield.

"His form just hasn't quite been good enough. He's aware of that," Fagan said frankly.

"His inside ball stuff is a pretty strong feature of his game, he just needs to make sure he works hard on the outside as well."

Former Adelaide midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen, who signed with Brisbane as a free agent, says the Crows' infamous camp at the end of 2017 hurt the club in a variety of ways.

"It divided us and stopped us playing good team footy that we were playing in that 2017 year, when we made the Grand Final," Ellis-Yolmen said.

"It (the culture) is not as good as it was in 2017, when obviously we were winning.

"It kind of faded a little bit and it's definitely not as strong. That's obviously shown in the performances that we have had, which has been very disappointing."

Cam Ellis-Yolmen will officially play at Brisbane for the next three years after the unrestricted free agent finalised a new deal with the Lions.

In return, the Crows will receive a third-round compensation pick, currently No.47.

"The Lions have had a lot of success this year, which has been exciting to watch," Ellis-Yolmen said.

"Looking in from the outside, they seem to have a good culture, which I can't wait to be a part of. I know quite a few people at the club already, so I feel like I will have a good support network around me."

Cam Ellis-Yolmen will pursue his rights as an unrestricted free agent, choosing to leave the Crows after eight years, and expected to join Brisbane on a four-year deal.

“Cam has been a valued member of our playing group and has shown great resilience to overcome his share of injuries,” Crows list manager Justin Reid said.

“We wish him every success in the next stage of his football journey and he will always be part of the Crows family.”

Adelaide re-sign Andy Otten and Cam Ellis-Yolmen to one-year extensions for 2019.

"Andy and Cam are valuable contributors on and off the field and over the years have overcome adversity with injury, which is a testament to their character and resilience," Crows general manager of list management and strategy Justin Reid said.

"We see them both playing a meaningful role going forward."

After a 2017 season ruined by injury, Cam Ellis-Yolmen just wants to play footy again.

"I just want to get my body right during pre-season and set myself up," he said.

"I just want to play round one, no matter if it's AFL or SANFL, I just want to play.

"My main goal is just to play footy again."

To stay involved during his recovery, Ellis-Yolmen took on an assistant coaching role for the Crows' SANFL side, running messages to players during games and helping at training sessions.

"That was really good for my mental state, to stay involved with the team," he said.

"I don't want to do a knee, but you've got to find the positives and the stuff that will make you better as a footballer.

"I've been putting that into practice in training and hopefully it helps the way I play."

Cam Ellis-Yolmen is delisted by the Crows, but will be re-drafted by Adelaide as a rookie if he isn't picked up by another club.

Cam Ellis-Yolmen to miss the entire season with a torn ACL.

The 24-year-old hyperextended his right knee during the first half of the Crows' 19-point loss to Richmond in the JLT Community Series game at Etihad Stadium.

"The injury is really disappointing for both Cam and the club," Crows head of football Brett Burton said.

"We were excited about him pushing his claims for round one selection.

"We will consult a specialist this week with the view to Cam having surgery, which will unfortunately rule him out for the season."

An intense American training camp with UFC competitor Kyle Noke shows the sacrifice seldom-used midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen is willing to make to secure a regular spot in the Adelaide engine room.

"I'm treating next season as a make-or-break year for me and I'm doing everything in my power to make a success of it,'' Ellis-Yolmen said.

"There's a spot available in the midfield and I want to take it. I'm not satisfied with playing just two games last season.

"It's the last year of my contract and I want to show that I can play at the top level for a whole season and become a permanent fixture in the Crows side."

Cam Ellis-Yolmen looks set to remain at the Crows next year.

Ellis-Yolmen, 23, is contracted to the Crows for 2017 but after playing just two senior games this season he was understood to be weighing up his options in the hopes of playing more regular football at AFL level.

But Ellis-Yolmen's manager Ben Williams told NAB AFL Trade Radio on Wednesday that the powerful midfielder was more likely than not to remain at the Crows next year.

Cam Ellis-Yolmen will weigh up his options before deciding whether to request a trade from Adelaide for the chance to play more senior football.

"Cam just wants an opportunity to play AFL," Ellis-Yolmen's manager Ben Williams said.

"He loves the Crows and thinks he can play an important role for them going forward, but he is a bit frustrated by his lack of game time.

"That's what he has to consider so he'll assess all his options, see what the Crows want to do with their midfield and see how the trade period plays out."

Cam Ellis-Yolmen signs a new two-year deal with the Crows.

"Credit to Cam, he worked extremely hard last summer and it was reflected in his footy," Crows football boss David Noble said.

"We think he gives us a different look in the midfield as that bigger body, and we're excited about seeing him develop further over the next two years."

Andrew McLeod's house is an "oasis" to Adelaide's indigenous players, according to emerging midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen.

McLeod has been a terrific friend to the club's indigenous players in recent seasons.

"It's an oasis, it's awesome to be able to go and chill out with one of your favourite players and then hang out with Eddie and Charlie and Anthony outside of football," Ellis-Yolmen said.

"Growing up he was always my favourite player so it's awesome to be at the same club as him and be sitting next to him (at the press conference).

"He's a role model for so many indigenous players around the country."

Cam Ellis-Yolmen firms as a round one selection for Adelaide after tallying 27 disposals against the Power in the Crows' NAB Challenge clash, backing up a 23-possession game against Geelong.

"He had a really strong pre-season, we've given him an opportunity to play through the midfield and right at this point in time he's ticked a lot of boxes," Adelaide coach Phil Walsh said.

"Without going back over the game he'd be challenging for a round one spot I would think."

Cameron Ellis-Yolmen makes his AFL debut for Adelaide with 5 disposals (2 kicks and 3 handballs) and a mark in a 40-point loss to Fremantle.

Brent Reilly is set to become a one-club player after re-signing with the Crows for two years. Fellow Crows Tom Lynch and Cameron Ellis-Yolmen have also inked new deals.

Adelaide draftee Cameron Ellis-Yolmen knew he had to improve after he was dropped from the South Australian team.

I was happy to get into the team, but only getting picked for one game … I knew something had to change if I wanted to get drafted," he said.

"I wanted to do my best and see how far I could go, so I started training harder and that was reflected in my games."