Xavier John Ellis (born 28 February 1988) is a media personality and former professional Australian rules football player who played with the

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...

and

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...

in the Australian Football League. Over 125 senior matches, and two AFL Clubs, Xavier played in three grand finals (2008, 2012 and 2015), winning in 2008

AFL career

Ellis was drafted by the

with their first selection and third overall in the 2005 national draft. In 2006, he focused on completing his year twelve studies and playing football for

Melbourne Grammar (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...

, where he was co-captain of the 1st XVIII. His season was wrecked by injuries, but he managed to play several games for Hawthorn's VFL affiliate, the Box Hill Hawks. He made his senior debut against the in round one, 2007 and scored his first goal in round four against at Aurora Stadium. His debut season saw him rewarded with the club's best first year player. During the 2008 season, he played 23 matches, averaging 20 disposals. Xavier played in the

2008 AFL Grand Final The 2008 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Geelong Football Club and the Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 2008. It was the 112th annual grand ...

, where he amassed 28 disposals (the most for Hawthorn) and helped his team defeat Geelong. This would be his first and only Premiership as a player but he would go onto play in two more grand finals. From 2009 to 2012, he was hampered by a string of injuries throughout this period. He missed most of the 2012 season, only managing to play five matches, including the 2012 grand final loss. This would Xavier's second Grand Final appearance and first loss as a player. In 2013, he was restricted to just two games after numerous calf injuries and at the end of the season he signed with the as an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

. This would be the same time former Hawthorn Football Club Assistant Coach Adam Simpson would become West Coast Eagles Head Coach. From 2014 to 2015, he played the majority of both seasons including the

2015 AFL Grand Final The 2015 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 3 October 2015. It was the 120th annual Grand Final of the Australian Foo ...

against his old side, Hawthorn. This would Xavier's third grand final appearance and second loss as a player. After managing just two matches in the 2016 season, Ellis announced his immediate retirement from the AFL in August via a post on Instagram.

Media

In February 2017, Ellis was announced as co-host of ''Weekend Breakfast'' on Hit 92.9 with Heidi Anderson. In January 2018, Ellis was announced at co-host of ''Heidi, Xavier and Ryan'', Hit 92.9's Weekday breakfast program with Heidi Anderson and Ryan Jon. Throughout the 2018 WAFL season Xavier was seen on the Channel Seven television coverage. The following year, Ellis would replace Peter Bell for Channel Seven's coverage of AFL matches in Perth. His role has been primarily as a boundary rider and to conduct interviews during the quarter breaks. Ellis is currently the co-host of the 'Moreira's Magic' AFL Fantasy podcast with Selby-Lee Steere.

Statistics

, - style=background:#EAEAEA , 2006 , , , , 32 , 0 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , 0 , - , 2007 , , , , 32 , 13 , , 3 , , 2 , , 78 , , 74 , , 152 , , 49 , , 24 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 6.0 , , 5.7 , , 11.7 , , 3.8 , , 1.8 , , 0 , - style=background:#EAEAEA , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

^# , , , , 8 , 23 , , 3 , , 1 , , 205 , , 250 , , 455 , , 151 , , 53 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 8.9 , , 10.9 , , 19.8 , , 6.6 , , 2.3 , , 1 , - , 2009 , , , , 8 , 11 , , 3 , , 0 , , 87 , , 105 , , 192 , , 47 , , 35 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 7.9 , , 9.5 , , 17.5 , , 4.3 , , 3.2 , , 0 , - style=background:#EAEAEA , 2010 , , , , 8 , 23 , , 10 , , 7 , , 207 , , 193 , , 400 , , 106 , , 89 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 9.0 , , 8.4 , , 17.4 , , 4.6 , , 3.9 , , 0 , - , 2011 , , , , 8 , 8 , , 3 , , 1 , , 84 , , 64 , , 148 , , 46 , , 19 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 10.5 , , 8.0 , , 18.5 , , 5.8 , , 2.4 , , 0 , - style=background:#EAEAEA ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, , , , 8 , 6 , , 6 , , 0 , , 44 , , 35 , , 79 , , 14 , , 8 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 7.3 , , 5.8 , , 13.2 , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , 0 , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, , , , 8 , 2 , , 0 , , 2 , , 9 , , 3 , , 12 , , 3 , , 4 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 4.5 , , 1.5 , , 6.0 , , 1.5 , , 2.0 , , 0 , - style=background:#EAEAEA ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , , , 18 , 17 , , 7 , , 2 , , 174 , , 84 , , 258 , , 53 , , 40 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 10.2 , , 4.9 , , 15.2 , , 3.1 , , 2.4 , , 0 , - , 2015 , , , , 18 , 15 , , 1 , , 0 , , 164 , , 62 , , 226 , , 76 , , 22 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 10.9 , , 4.2 , , 15.1 , , 5.1 , , 1.5 , , 0 , - style=background:#EAEAEA ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, , , , 18 , 2 , , 1 , , 0 , , 11 , , 11 , , 22 , , 6 , , 4 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 5.5 , , 5.5 , , 11.0 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career: ! 120 !! 37 !! 15 !! 1063 !! 881 !! 1944 !! 551 !! 298 !! 0.3 !! 0.1 !! 8.9 !! 7.3 !! 16.2 !! 4.6 !! 2.5 !! 1

Honours and achievements

Team * AFL premiership player ():

* 2× Minor premiership ():

Individual * Under 18 All-Australian team: 2005

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Xavier 1988 births People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Living people Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Gippsland Power players Hawthorn Football Club players Hawthorn Football Club Premiership players Box Hill Football Club players West Coast Eagles players East Perth Football Club players Swan Districts Football Club players One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players