A former
Junior Kiwi, in 2006 Ellis played for the
North Sydney Bears, making a record 1,066 tackles in the
NSWRL Premier League season. In 2007 Ellis joined the
St. George Illawarra Dragons in the
NRL. Ellis captained the
New Zealand Māori rugby league team in the opening match of the
2008 World Cup. At the end of the 2008 season Ellis was released by the Dragons, and signed with the
Cabramatta Two-Blues club in the
Bundaberg Cup. In 2009 Ellis was named to play in the
New South Wales Residents team. Ellis later played for the
Cabramatta Two-Blues in the
Ron Massey Cup. Ellis then played representative Oztag, and was selected to represent Australia at the 2018 World Cup. ==Personal life==