BRISBANE has delisted four players but big-bodied midfielder Cam Ellis-Yolmen is set to earn a rookie lifeline.

Tom Joyce, Brock Smith and rookie Connor Ballenden were also cut, but the club has promised to select Ellis-Yolmen in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

Ellis-Yolmen joined the Lions as a free agent from Adelaide at the end of 2019, but has only managed nine games – all in 2020 – in his two seasons at the club.

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Ballenden, a Lions academy product, played three AFL matches, while Joyce and Smith never managed a senior game.

The Lions are interested in offering them VFL playing contracts if they fail to find another AFL home.

General manager of football Danny Daly thanked the trio for their service and wished them all the best for their future endeavours.

“It is the toughest part of the job telling young men who have contributed to the Club that there won’t be a spot for them next year," he said.

“All of these guys are talented players and popular teammates, and we are very sad to see them go.

“It is also unfortunate that with two years of disrupted seasons in the second-tier competitions, they didn’t get the same opportunities they would have enjoyed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.’’