A New South Wales Rugby League obituary described him as "[a] great defender and a confident ball player.
[5] Scouted by Noel Kelly,[4] he came to the Western Suburbs club in 1966 as a winger but later was shifted to the forwards where he remained the rest of his career.
[9] Later that year he made his representative debut for New South Wales, in what was described as, "a powerhouse display," by, "a rugged young second-rower who delights in the role of crashing defence and can split the opposition in attacking bursts.
"[10] Elford was then subsequently selected for the Australian national side that same year, scoring two tries in a match against New Zealand.
[11] He would be selected for the Australian side in the 1972 Rugby League World Cup held in France but broke his arm in a warm-up fixture prior to the tournament and could not take part.