Cam Ellis-Yolmen: Wodonga Raiders marquee recruit bringing plenty on and off the field

The former Adelaide and Brisbane man produced a dominant display on his Ovens and Murray debut, racking up 35 disposals and kicking two goals as Marc Almond's side almost pulled off a shock win at home to Wangaratta Rovers.

But Ellis-Yolmen's influence is already stretching well beyond the field of play at Birallee Park.

"Cam was excellent, just what we needed, that presence around the ball," Almond said.

"He really stood up in big moments, which is what we needed him to do and what we expected he would do.

"The boys walk a little bit taller when he's around.

"He's really got behind the boys and with such a young group still, we need that leader who can put a team on his back and take them along.

"Cam is definitely that player for us."

There was huge excitement when the 30-year-old landed in the O and M, with Ellis-Yolmen's willingness to buy into the Raiders game plan a major boost for Almond.

"It's not just his playing ability," Almond said.

"He's really got a good nature to him where people listen and he teaches really well.

"The playing side of it, he's such a presence out on the ground.

"He flew the flag a few times when he needed to and he did it in a controlled manner but that makes the boys feel like they can play with a bit of freedom.

"They can play their way without fear of him being an overpowering presence.

"He's a real supportive presence to the group and to the players.

"It is a different feel this year, I must admit, and a big part of it is him and Brad St John as our leader.

"Our leadership group have really got behind what the coaching staff are doing and that's really pleasing.

"It's only a start and we've got a long way to go - we're definitely not the finished product by any means - but it's started pretty well."

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Youngsters Nelson Bowey, Ned Twycross and Charlie St John were all outstanding against the Hawks, who snuck home by seven points.

"I was really proud of the boys," Almond said.

"We went in with a clear plan of what we wanted to do and to the boys' credit, they executed it for 90 percent of the game.

"We probably just fell away in the last 10 minutes, where their experience rose to the top and we couldn't quite finish them off.

"I was super encouraged.

"It was what I expected because I feel like our group's got so much more synergy this year, the mix of players we've got, they're really coachable.

"They were last year too but the ones we've got this year, bringing in Cam Ellis-Yolmen has really helped with the way our group's connected and bought into game plans.

"You'd like to think they would take belief from that.

"They've showed themselves what they're capable of but our challenge now is doing that consistently."

Raiders' next game is the Anzac Day clash against Wodonga at Martin Park.

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