Richmond recruit Corey Ellis set to return to running after foot surgery
Daniel Cherny
The Age
January 12, 2015 - 4:24PM "You just want to get out there and train and show them what you can do."
The frustration in Richmond's Corey Ellis' voice is evident.
Ellis has not been able to show teammates and coaches why the Tigers took the midfielder with pick 12 in November's draft. His pre-existing right foot issues, which resulted in him missing the draft combine, flared up again in mid-December, forcing him to have minor surgery.
"I was on a program just to ease my way back into things, and then it flared up again, so I went straight into surgery," Ellis said on Monday at the AFL Players' Association induction camp at Etihad Stadium.
The wait is just about over though. Ellis said he should be back running this week, and hoped to return to full training in about a fortnight.
He praised the club for its support.
"They've been great. They kind of had a feeling that it would occur again so they've supported me through."
Ellis highlighted how Matt Thomas, who has also been in the rehab group, has assisted him through a challenging period.
"Being in rehab with him, he's always there and pushing me through."
The foot issue did not prevent Ellis from taking part in Richmond's gruelling training camp in Townsville almost immediately after his arrival at Punt Road.
"Talking to a few of the boys that was the hardest pre-season camp they'd done … it was the toughest week of my life."
One particular day stood out. Ellis couldn't take part in a hike because of his foot and was therefore "chucked on a mountain bike", and forced to ride up and down the mountain 2½ times while the others strode the incline.
"I couldn't walk afterwards."
Even with his return to running imminent, Ellis isn't looking too far ahead.
"I just want to get my body right for the season now, get back into training and get a bit of fitness under my belt. If I'm training well enough I'll earn some game time, if not it'll happen in the next few years."
Ellis was reunited on Monday with his former Keilor teammates – Essendon's Jayden Laverde, GWS Giant Paul Ahern and West Coast's Damien Cavka. He recounted how much shared experiences had helped during their draft year.
"We could bounce things off each other and it kind of helped throughout the year. And now we can just look back on it and say 'we've done it.' "
He doesn't see the chats stopping though, with matey banter inevitable.
"We'll all stay in contact, and I'm sure it'll get pretty competitive about [playing our] first game."
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