Ramanauskas debuted with the Essendon Football Club in
1999 after being selected at No. 12 in the
1998 AFL draft. Playing mainly as a defender or midfielder, he was an integral member of the dominant 2000 Bombers' premiership team. He was one of three talented AFL prospects featured in the 2000 television documentary
The Draft, with the other draft prospects being
Des Headland and
Brendan Fevola. Regarded as one of AFL's up-and-coming young stars, Ramanauskas was runner-up in the
AFL Rising Star Award in 2000 and placed third in Essendon's
Crichton Medal the following year before being diagnosed with cancer in 2003. After surgery, Ramanauskas missed eight matches but made a quick recovery to play a handful of games again in 2003 before a recurrence of his cancer. He had weeks of radiotherapy treatment, but he managed to come back and compete a solid
2004 season, where he played in all of the Bombers' 24 games. Ramanauskas had more misfortune in
2005 when he underwent a season-ending knee reconstruction after a Round 4 training mishap. After he had completed his recovery, he was set to make another comeback. However, in February 2006, a recurrence of the cancer appeared, and he underwent further invasive surgery and six months of
chemotherapy treatment. At the end of 2006, Essendon sought special consideration from the AFL to place Ramanauskas on a mature-aged rookie list for the 2007 season. In July 2007, Ramanauskas was elevated to the senior list and played his first AFL match in two years. Named as one of
The Australian newspaper's "Most Inspirational People" in 2007, Ramanauskas's courage and determination both on and off the field has inspired many. Since 2007, he has worked passionately with the Essendon Football Club Community Affairs Department, co-ordinating youth programs and developing a strong alliance with the Cancer Council of Victoria. Ramanauskas announced his retirement from AFL football at the end of the
2008 season. In 2009, he accepted a part-time role at Essendon focusing on fast-tracking the development of the club's youngest players. Alongside his duties at Essendon, he also began work on the management team at Elite Sports Properties, a sports talent management agency. He has also joined the football commentary team at 774 ABC Radio. ==Career highlights==