Elijah Tsatas
Australian footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elijah Tsatas (born 18 October 2004) is a former Australian footballer who last played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was selected as the fifth pick in the 2022 AFL draft.[1][2]
| Elijah Tsatas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tsatas in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Elijah Tsatas | ||
| Born | 18 October 2004 | ||
| Original team | Surrey Park (YJFL)/Wesley College (APS)/Oakleigh Chargers (NAB League) | ||
| Draft | No. 5, 2022 national draft | ||
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 80 kg | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2023–2026 | Essendon | 22 (4) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2026. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Essendon reportedly rejected several lucrative trade offers from other clubs in order to secure Tsatas with their top draft pick.[2] Tsatas is friends with fellow 2022 draftee George Wardlaw, with whom he has played football since he was a child.[3] Prior to selection, Tsatas suffered a serious foot injury that prevented him from playing for three months. He eventually recovered in time to perform well in games before being interviewed for the draft.[3][4]
Tsatas is a midfielder-wingman who was described as a player who "can run and carry, has a knack of finding space at stoppages, and has good disposal".[5] Tsatas was showing good form in his first preseason with the Essendon Football Club, but then suffered an acute meniscus tear in his knee[6] that required surgery and saw him miss the start of the AFL season. After recovering from the injury, Tsatas made his debut with the Essendon VFL[7] team in round 11, playing 3 quarters and registering a goal with his first kick in the VFL, 18 disposals and 4 marks.[8]
Tsatas grew up in Burwood[9] and played junior football for Surrey Park Panthers in the YJFL.[10] He also played school football for Wesley College in the APS.[11]
Tsatas was teammates with Bailey Macdonald at Surrey Park, Wesley College, and Oakleigh Chargers.
Statistics
Updated to the end of round 22, 2026.[12]
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2023 | Essendon | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 30 | 65 | 15 | 11 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 8.8 | 7.5 | 16.3 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 0 |
| 2024 | Essendon | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 37 | 71 | 18 | 5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 10.1 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2025 | Essendon | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 44 | 84 | 5 | 6 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 16.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0 |
| 2026 | Essendon | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 82 | 145 | 26 | 9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 10.5 | 13.7 | 24.2 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 0 |
| Career | 22 | 4 | 5 | 172 | 193 | 365 | 64 | 31 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 7.8 | 8.8 | 16.6 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0 | ||
