Departing Cam Ellis-Yolmen doubles down on training camp, says it ripped the heart out of Adelaide Crows
Departing Crow Cam Ellis-Yolmen has doubled down on his comments about Adelaide’s infamous Gold Coast training camp, saying it contributed to the team’s slide from grand finalist to also-ran and hadn’t helped his own footy.
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Departed Adelaide midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen has heaped more scorn on the club’s infamous Gold Coast pre-season training camp, explaining how it stunted his progress and dented the team’s finals hopes.
The 189cm powerhouse made headlines on Monday when he said last January’s pre-season trip hurt the Crows’ culture and divided the playing group after its 2017 grand final defeat.
Ellis-Yolmen, who joined Brisbane as an unrestricted free agent on the weekend, backed up the comments this morning, claiming the camp contributed to the end of his Adelaide career.
He also said its mind-training focus had played a role in the Crows’ shocking fall from grand finalist to missing the top eight in each of the past two campaigns.
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“I wasn’t a fan of how it (the camp) was run,” Ellis-Yolmen told SEN on Tuesday morning.
“It just didn’t help (and) it didn’t do what it was supposed to do.
“A lot of people weren’t happy with it and it probably did play a bit of a part in what’s happened (to the team) in the last couple of years.
“I wouldn’t say it’s scarred me personally, but it didn’t help with going forward.
“It didn’t help me in my footy.”
Ellis-Yolmen said some of the rumours about the extremity of the activities during the camp were “far from the truth”.
But he maintained the mental testing throughout the trip had impacted negatively on many of his teammates and failed to improve the Crows’ on-field performance.
“I don’t think it made the team better,” Ellis-Yolmen, 26, said.
“People got out of it what they got out of it.
“Everyone was different.
“I personally didn’t like it, so I can’t really talk on other people’s behalf.”
Ellis-Yolmen left a hand grenade for the Crows on Monday, telling AFL Trade Radio the camp “kind of hurt the boys, the culture of the club”.
“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.’’
The emotionally distressing Gold Coast camp — which tested the players mentally (with mind training) as much as physically — left many of them shaken and angry and played a role in midfielder Curtly Hampton retiring midway through the 2018 season.
Football director Mark Ricciuto said on Tuesday that while there was no doubt the camp has “been a bit of a mess”, it wasn’t the reason Ellis-Yolmen was leaving.
“He left because he got a bigger and better offer,” Ricciuto told Triple M.
“He wanted to stay at the club and had a contract on the table. He turns 27 next year and has played 39 games in eight years. We are going in a rejuvenating phase and he is not going to be part of it.
“You can see on his social media what he has written about the club and the opportunity and how much he loves the club. Yes the camp wasn’t great but he left the club for cash and security.”
Big-bodied midfielder Ellis-Yolmen, 26, is the first Crow to go in what looms as one of the biggest clean-outs in club history and he will be joined by veteran ruckman Sam Jacobs (GWS), key defender Alex Keath (Western Bulldogs), onballer Hugh Greenwood (Gold Coast), key forward Josh Jenkins (destination unknown), star small forward Eddie Betts (Carlton) and possibly midfielder/forward Riley Knight (Sydney).
Coach Don Pyke also has left, resigning with two years left on his contract, with the fallout from the camp playing a role in his demise.
Ellis-Yolmen, who could never command a regular spot in the Crows team, playing just 39 games in eight seasons and spending the past two years on the club’s rookie list, was given an offer from the Lions that was too good to refuse.
He said on Monday he “just needed to get out of there” at Adelaide and had started talks with finalist Brisbane months ago.
“I had interest from other places but when they came and showed how keen they were I was happy to jump aboard,” he said.
“Brisbane are doing well. They seem like they have got a good culture looking in from the outside.
“I think I’d fit really well in there and I have got support there with a couple of the boys and a couple of ex-Crows people.”
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Cam Ellis-Yolmen has signed with Brisbane Lions
He said on Tuesday he was looking forward to adding “physicality” and “grunt” to the Lions’ engine room.
“(It is) a fresh start for me and I’m really looking forward to getting over there,” the Woodville-West Torrens product said.
“Watching Brisbane during this year, I was really liking what I was seeing.
“Brisbane is not a footy crazy town like Adelaide is, so it’s a good chance for me to get away, play footy and have a good life.”
Ellis-Yolmen said he would initially move in with former teammate Charlie Cameron in Brisbane, where he will also link up with former Crow Jarryd Lyons along with football general manager David Noble, who was formerly list manager at the Crows.
Noble said Ellis-Yolmen would “bring clean clearances and some power to get through the stoppages’’ at the Lions.
“And we like that,’’ he said.
The Crows have been compensated with a third-round draft selection for Ellis-Yolmen — currently number 48.