You would’ve forgiven Corey Ellison for giving up on his AFL dreams at 18, but his perseverance is now a key pillar of Casey’s VFL side.

Many young footballers harbour the dream of making it to the big time, only to fall just short and realise the dream wasn’t for them when they hit the age of 18 and are left out of representative squads.

But not Corey Ellison.

The tall utility forged his own path to the leadership group of Casey’s VFL team. Initially on the fringes of the Dandenong Stingrays, for some reason or another Ellison could never quite find a consistent spot in the side as it cantered to premiership glory in 2018.

After also struggling to make a name for himself as a top age player in 2019, Ellison went back to senior footy with Cranbourne and unlocked a new side to his game that has benefited his VFL career to date.

Now a leader and key defender in Casey’s side as it kicks off its 2022 campaign with three consecutive wins, Ellison is finally starting to feel he has found a spot for himself where he belongs.

“I know I can be comfortable that I have my spot in the team at the moment which is a relief,” Ellison told Casey Media.

 “Obviously things can change based on Melbourne and their side, but right now I’m playing with more freedom knowing I’m more a part of the team this season.

“I don’t worry or doubt if I’ll be in each week, I can now focus on what I’m good at and play my role for the team instead of worrying if I’m in or out.”

It’s been a long time coming for the 21-year-old.

Currently studying teaching, Ellison has never wavered in his commitment to improving himself as a footballer. It failed to draw the eyes of Dandenong’s coaches, who shifted Ellison around in his multiple seasons with the Stingrays, but it has certainly impressed Casey coach Mark Corrigan.

Corrigan was quick to elevate Ellison to the side’s leadership group despite only making his debut in the early stages of last season. In a great show of faith, Ellison is rising to the challenge, having transitioned from a key forward to a tell defender with aplomb.

It doesn’t mean it was always easy. Having first gotten himself into the VFL side with a six-goal haul for Cranbourne, Ellison then progressed with a bag of six majors for the Demons against Frankston in 2021. But Ellison’s days in the VFL weren’t destined to be as a key forward. Now he sits as Casey’s most reliable tall defender, having made the transition down back out of necessity – the likes of Majak Daw, Ben Brown, Mitch Brown and Sam Weideman mean Casey and Melbourne already boast plenty of tall forward talent.

To get a game, Ellison had to go back. Now, he can’t get enough of it.

“I really like playing down back,” Ellison said. “They’re obviously both really different but I just want to be in the team, and whether that’s down forward or back I’m not too fussed.”

“If there’s a chance later in the year to go forward then I’m obviously happy to do that but right now I’m happy just playing down back.”

When it comes to getting used to spoiling instead of marking, Ellison said he has plenty of role models who have mentored him through the adjustment. At Cranbourne he admitted to being “starstruck” by superstar footballer Marc Holt, who would often take time out to help the young tall hone his craft.

At VFL level, Ellison lists Jack Hutchins previously and captain Matt Buntine as major influences who constantly work with him to help him improve defensively.

“Having Matt Buntine doing work with me during the pre-season has helped settle me quite a lot,” Ellison said.

“I now don’t feel like just a forward going back occasionally, I feel settled down there.”

But Ellison’s improvement isn’t solely due to the work of others.

When Australians went into lockdown at the start of the 2020 season, Ellison couldn’t have experienced it at a worse time. Having been added onto Casey’s list for that season, he had to park his eagerness to get out there and begin his VFL career. Instead of wallowing at home, he began working on his physical attributes.

“I didn’t have much to do so I spent a lot of time in the gym at home, we’ve got a good set up there,” Ellison said.

“Even over this past off-season I spoke to Corrigan and wanted to work on my power – not necessarily getting bigger but being able to be as strong as I can while covering the ground well.

“It’s something I focused on heaps, I think it’s important to be strong enough to play my game and how I want to play against some big players who are on AFL lists.”

In 2022, Ellison has been strong in most contests as a key defender. The Demons currently have three wins on the board and no losses to start their VFL campaign, and Ellison’s solidity in defence has been a major feature of all three victories.

He believes his unique pathway of playing more senior footy than representative footy held him in good stead when it came to defending stronger bodies.

“Instead of playing under-18s in my draft year I played a lot more senior footy with older bodies at a younger age and it made the transition a lot easier,” Ellison said.

“I was more used to versing guys who were 25 or older and it was a lot more physical brand of footy I was playing against men, so it helped me jump into it and find my feet a bit quicker.”

Many in Ellison’s position wouldn’t have persevered so fiercely through being overlooked for representative footy, which is usually a make-or-break period for players wanting to make the AFL.

Although Ellison didn’t get many chances to impress recruiters in the traditional pathway, he’s intent on getting the best out of himself for Casey.

“I always had the belief and trust in myself that I was good enough to play at that level,” he said.

“I just want to be the best footballer I can be, whether it is VFL that’s the highest level I reach or whether I can hopefully go up one more level, each week I’ll always have something to work on.

“At the moment our whole list is finding ways to get better each week.”

And it’s clearly working. Casey will play Geelong this weekend and look to extend its unbeaten start to the year. Despite not always being able to train with the AFL members of the side, Ellison believes his Demons are “starting to gel” the further they get into the season.

For Ellison, he is intent on keeping the momentum rolling, and then hopefully the recruiters’ eyes turn to his team.

“I’d love to win a flag with Casey as everyone has worked so hard over the past two or three years, it would be amazing to get that reward,” he said.

“If it gets me attention through recruiters then that would be great but focusing on Casey will help bring attention to all of us in the team if we keep winning.”