It will be a big week for SUNS defender Corey Ellis, coming up against his former club Richmond for the first time since crossing to the Gold Coast at the end of 2018.
Ellis joined the SUNS alongside Anthony Miles, but had to wait to play for his new club as he recovered from groin surgery which sidelined him in the pre-season.
The 22-year-old recovered in time to play a NEAFL practice match before an unlucky ankle injury saw him miss more football.
Now with a clean bill of health, Ellis has cracked into the AFL side for two matches and is set to play his third against his former club this weekend.
“It’s nice to be back, I’ve missed a bit of footy this year but finally back in the seniors and I’m just finding my feet in the first few games,” Ellis told SUNS Media.
“But I’m really enjoying it and especially the back group, we’re working together, there’s some really nice guys down there and some calm heads so we’re just trying to put it all together now.”
“I’ve had a couple of injuries but I’ve been pretty diligent with those and made sure that they were 100% before I was back and I suppose I’m reaping the rewards now.”
Ellis has been reliable in his two games, with 19 and 21 disposals respectively.
“I’m still trying to grow and keep growing my strengths and my weaknesses,” he said.
“But to be able to find a little bit of it in the first couple of games is nice just to know that you’re not out of it and still have a bit of touch.”
It might be his biggest challenge so far in SUNS colours this weekend, as he aims to contain a dangerous Richmond forward line he knows better than most.
“They will obviously be enemies while I’m on the field but I’ve obviously got some close friends there as well.
“It will probably be a little bit of a weird feeling coming up against them but I’m looking forward to taking them on.
“I do have a couple of mates that I got drafted with in the forward line, Dan Butler and Jason Castagna, so hopefully I get to spend a bit of time on them and shut them down.”
The match at Metricon Stadium will kick off at 2:10pm on Saturday.
