Adelaide Crow Cam Ellis-Yolmen is to become a Brisbane Lion on first day of free agency on Friday
Crow Cam Ellis-Yolmen is set to sign a three-year contract with Brisbane on the first day of free agency on Friday, as the Lions general manager hoses down speculation linking him to the Crows coach job.
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Crow Cam Ellis-Yolmen will become a Lion on Friday.
Brisbane football general manager David Noble said the strong-bodied midfielder had agreed to sign a three-year contract with the Lions and that the paperwork would be lodged on the first day of free agency on Friday.
“We’ve had some interest in building our midfield further — adding another big body — and we’ll put some paperwork in for Cam on Friday,’’ Noble told AFL Trade Radio.
“It will be a three-year deal, which we’re really excited about.
“To have another person in the midfield, someone who can help take some of the load and give the opposition another person to worry about, will be good for us.
“Cam’s also not a bad mark for his size, so maybe we can pinch-hit him forward as well and add another dimension for us.’’
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Former Crows list manager Noble, who helped guide the Lions to second at the end of this year’s minor round before they lost their two home finals, said Ellis-Yolmen, 26, had the potential to build on the modest 39 games he managed in eight years at Adelaide.
“In talking to him, when he did his knee (in 2017), he sat back and assessed what footy meant to him and looking at some of his games in the early part of this year we thought he was on the rise to continue to escalate his game up,’’ Noble said.
“I think the thing that he brings is clean clearance for us, he’s a right-foot kick, left-hand handballer, so he’s got a slightly different dynamic for us.
“He’s got some power to get through the stoppage, with one or two steps he can release the ball, and we like that factor to be able to get the ball through the front of the stoppage as well.
“He just needs to continue to improve on his tank, to be able to work offensively and defensively.
“He had a couple of roles this year where he had a little bit of a run-with role, which we quite liked, so I think his game has continued to improve and that he's still got more upside for us to develop in the next couple of years.’’
Noble, meanwhile, virtually ruled himself out of the running to be Adelaide’s next senior coach, despite having been linked to the job.
He said he had not spoken to the Crows about the role vacated by Don Pyke and that he was unlikely to seek a senior coaching position.
“I’m really comfortable with the direction I’ve taken and I think my skill set now is that I am a bit broader for the football department in its totality,’’ Noble said.
“With where our club’s at we’ve got some really exciting years ahead and we’re already looking forward to getting stuck into next year.’’