Cam Ellis-Yolmen knew he was looking for a change of scenery.
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But he wasn't sure where until a random message from somebody he never met popped up on his phone in September.
The message was from Wodonga Raiders' assistant coach Joel Price who had made initial contact with Ellis-Yolmen via Facebook Messenger to gauge his interest in switching leagues next year.
For Price, it was something that he had become accustomed to every off-season for more than a decade and since he has been involved in coaching.
A bit like throwing darts in the dark and hoping you at least get a reply.
But Price not only got a reply - he hit the bullseye.
Ellis-Yolmen said the message sowed the seed in the back of his mind that a switch to a country club could be enticing.
"Joel hit me up on Facebook Messenger and when I first saw the message I originally thought that would be a big change," Ellis-Yolmen said.
"But after thinking about it a bit more, I thought it could also be a good learning experience and something that I wanted to do while I'm still relatively young.
"So I thought I may as well give it a crack and see what it's like.
"After my trip to Albury-Wodonga to have a bit of a look around, I was excited by the opportunity and now I can't wait to make the move."
Price - who will be assistant coach under Almond for a second successive season - said there was a method to his madness and it wasn't a Hail-mary message and just hoping for the best.
"I've just found that the younger generation these days are more likely to reply to a message on social media than they are to answer their phone from a random number," Price said.
"So it's a recruiting tool that I've used for a fair while now and had a lot of success with since I've been involved in coaching for the past decade.
"Yes, there are times when you don't get a reply but it's no different to making a phone call or sending a text message and hearing nothing back.
"Ask any coach - recruiting is a tough gig - and you just have to use any avenue you can to contact players and see if they are interested in having a chat.
"My motto when it comes to recruiting is 'they can't say no, if you don't have a go.'
"Recruiting Cam is probably the perfect example of that.
"It started with a simple message 12 months ago when Cam first got put on Brisbane's inactive list.
"Cam replied he still had aspirations of playing AFL.
"So I followed up a couple of months ago and I guess you can say the rest is now history.
"Don't get me wrong, I've had a lot of knock backs across the journey as well."
While Yarrawonga's signing of Steve Johnson as non-playing coach is the biggest coup of the off-season, Ellis-Yolmen's arrival is the clubhouse leader as the most high-profile recruit.
He played 48-matches at the elite level with Adelaide and Brisbane and at 29, is still at the peak of his powers.
His final match in the AFL was in the 2020 preliminary final when the Lions lost to Geelong.
The following season he was put on Brisbane's inactive list after choosing not to have the Covid vaccination due to personal beliefs.
He started this season for Labrador in the QAFL before the SANFL's removal of its vaccination policy prompted his return to the Woodville-West Torrens before the clearance deadline.
Ellis-Yolmen said he was proud to have spent a decade in the AFL after being selected by the Crows with pick 64 in the 2011 national draft.
"It was a great lifestyle and I'm proud to say that I've played at the highest level possible," he said.
"I'm happy that I got to do it for so long.
"I would have preferred to go out the same way as most other players and either retire or get told by the club that I was no longer good enough.
"But I made my choice not to have the Covid jab and I'm happy with my choice and still stand by my decision.
"But now things have opened up again and more opportunities have opened up for me.
"I'm excited to be playing for Wodonga Raiders and looking forward to the challenge of helping out in regards to coaching."
Ellis-Yolmen said he can't wait to experience playing in a country league and starting the next chapter of his career.
"The club gave me a great country feel and I've always had ambitions to play in the country once I was finished in the AFL," he said.
"I've always resonated with a lot of the country boys who I've played with in the AFL and wanted to experience living and playing in the bush.
"Just to experience that family vibe and everybody seems to be together and do a lot of things off field together as well.
"A lot of country clubs have that great culture and I'm looking forward to experiencing that first hand."
Ellis-Yolmen said it didn't take long for him to decide that the Raiders would be the perfect fit for the next stage of his career after a meet and greet at Birallee Park last month.
"I met Marc and a few of the boys from the leadership group and they were fantastic," he said.
"Great blokes who made me feel so welcome and I really enjoyed their company.
"I more or less instantly thought to myself that 'yeah, this is what I'm looking at for the next stage of my career and see what it's like.'
Not only will it be Ellis-Yolmen's first time playing in the country, he will also take on a coaching role.
He has initially signed as assistant coach for one year with an option of a second year.
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Ellis-Yolmen also recently signed with Southern District Crocs in the NTFL.
"To be honest, I've never really seen myself as a coach," he said.
"But this year after playing at a few different clubs in Labrador Tigers on the Gold Coast and then heading back to the SANFL, I've had more of a leadership role.
"Now playing in the NTFL under coach Shannon Rusca, he is looking for me to step up and be a leader as well.
"It got me thinking that coaching would be a nice transition and I'm looking forward to the challenge and giving it a go.
"I've now got the opportunity to learn off Marc who is a great person but I've obviously haven't seen him coach yet.
"So I definitely want to give it a go."
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