Corey Ellis

Corey Ellis (born 9 October 1996) is a professional Australian rules football player for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Ellis played junior football at Keilor in the Essendon District Football League. He played alongside fellow future AFL player Jayden Laverde in eight consecutive premierships, and was awarded best on ground honours on four occasions.

He moved on to play TAC Cup football for the Western Jets. In 2014 he played eight games for the club, averaging totals of 22 disposals and 5 clearances. His best game for the year came against the Northern Territory Thunder, where he recorded 35 disposals, 11 marks and 2 goals. Ellis missed the final match of the season however, when he suffered a stress fracture in his foot.

Ellis represented the Victorian Metro side at the Under 18 championships. His 2014 season saw him average 16 disposals and four tackles in four games for the side.

Though he missed the National Combine in his draft year as a result of the foot injury, he remained a highly ranked prospect. He was particularly praised for his positional versatility, ball use and decision-making skills.

Ellis was drafted by the Richmond Football Club with their first selection and 12th overall in the 2014 National Draft.

Ellis missed a large share of the club's 2015 pre-season training as he recovered from the foot injury that restricted his draft testing. He made his league debut against Geelong in Round 5 of the 2015 season where he recorded 13 disposals and kicked a goal. Ellis was ruled out following the club's Round 12 loss against West Coast, suffering a foot injury that would require surgery. He did not return to the club's AFL side for the remainder of the 2015 season. He played six games and averaged 9 disposals.

Ellis returned to the team for Round 1 of the 2016 season. He played 11 of the first 12 matches of the season including a Round 6 match against Port Adelaide where he recorded a then career-best 23 disposals. Ellis played primarily across half-back in these matches, filling the void left by the injured Bachar Houli. He missed the club's Round 14 clash with the Brisbane Lions however, after suffering a groin injury in the week prior. He spent six weeks rehabbing the injury before making his way back to the club's reserves team in August 2016. Ellis did not return to the club's senior team in 2016 despite being available for the last three matches of the season. He finished the season having played 11 matches at an average of 15 disposals and 3.3 tackles per game.

Ellis signed a two year contract extension in 2016, keeping him at Richmond until at least the end of the 2018 season.

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2016 season