Brandon Eliis has retired, effective immediately, bringing an end to a career that spanned 251 games over 13 seasons at two clubs, and included a pair of glorious premierships at Richmond.
Ellis, 30, was a constant presence in Damien Hardwick’s teams at Richmond and his improvement reflected that of the Tigers, who rose from the mid-table doldrums to win three premierships in four years from 2017-20.
The hard-running midfielder was part of the first two of those flags, in 2017 and 2019, before pursuing a lucrative free agency move to Gold Coast ahead of the 2020 season on a five-year contract.
While he never achieved the same team success that he had enjoyed at Punt Road, Ellis was an important contributor to the Suns during his first four years at the club before injury took its toll in 2024, restricting him to just four games.
Ellis was heartfelt in his thanks to both the Tigers and Suns upon his retirement.
“I’d like to thank the Richmond Football Club for changing my life and giving me the opportunity to live my dream,” he said.
“To my Gold Coast Suns family, it’s been a great adventure to move our life up here and it has been the best decision we’ve ever made. Gold Coast is home now and we can’t see ourselves leaving anytime soon.
“To Dimma, thank you for everything from the very beginning to the end. You have had a massive impact on my life and I can wholeheartedly say I am a better man because of you.
“To my family and partner Sarah – you are the most important people to me and I am forever in debt to you. Thank you for your unwavering support to allow me to live my dream.”
