The Hawthorn premiership player reaches the milestone in his ninth year on an AFL list. He played 86 matches with Hawthorn after being recruited with pick no. 3 in the 2005 NAB AFL draft. Saturday night's clash with the Brisbane Lions will be his 14th with West Coast after moving to Perth as a free agent at the end of last year.

 

Ellis made his AFL debut at the Gabba against the Lions in the opening round of 2007. His slight embarrassment stems from the fact that a number of his contemporaries from the 2005 and 2006 NAB AFL drafts have played a lot more senior football.

 

"Early on I was thinking as though I was little bit embarrassed to only be playing my 100th after the time I've been in the AFL," Ellis told AFL.com.au.

 

"But a lot of people would have loved to have played 100 games of AFL football and I was lucky enough to win a flag as well, so I'm actually really looking forward to the day.

 

"I'm friends with Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins, I grew up with those guys, and they've played a lot more football.

 

"It's just taken a little bit longer than what a lot of other people's journeys, but I've enjoyed the whole journey."

 

It has taken longer for several reasons. Ellis was drafted as a 17-year-old from Lakes Entrance in Victoria, and did not play any football in 2006 as he wanted to finish his schooling in Melbourne.

 

Injury was the other major factor. Ellis managed just 16 games across three frustrating seasons between 2011-13.

 

"It mentally is a tough one," Ellis said.

 

"After a couple of years of injuries I probably would have rather done an ACL of something, where you've got a 12-month time frame where you can map out where you're going to be in 12 months.

 

"I'd get to a level where I might get to a game of VFL preparing to come back to AFL and I'd tear the calf in the first quarter. There were no signs it was going to happen or anything like that, just always around quarter-time it would tear.

 

"The mental side of it, not knowing whether you were 100 per cent or still feeling your calf was a real battle." 

 

Ellis major calf trouble was born from a decision he made in the 2012 Grand Final. He tore his calf before quarter-time and made a decision to numb the pain with anaesthetic in order to continue. He was eventually subbed out.

 

"That cost me the majority of 2013 with re-occurring calf injuries," Ellis said. 

 

"But I'm not at all bitter about that. If we had have won and the needle had worked, I'd do over and over again. It's just one of those things where I hurt the calf and injected it and kept running on it. I probably didn't rehab it probably after a lost Grand Final either."

 

Ellis has tasted success on the last day in September in 2008. But reflecting on that day, just his 36th match in his second full season, the 26-year-old thought he underappreciated the experience at the time.

 

"I regretfully did take the day for granted a little bit," Ellis said.

 

"I was 20 when we won and I played OK, and I assumed that come 24-25 with the crop of boys that we had that I'd probably have another one or two next to my name.

 

"Hopefully at West Coast in the next couple of years we get the opportunity to play some good finals football and hopefully win one, because I definitely won't be taking it for granted if we get another opportunity."