While attending Holy Cross College, Ryde, Elias played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1979 and 1981.

After migrating to Australia from his native Lebanon at a young age, Elias was a fan of rugby league from very young days and played his first rugby for Holy Cross College Ryde in the late 1970s as a halfback, representing Australia in the Schoolboys team from 1979 to 1981. He was graded by Balmain in 1981, and transferred quickly to the hooking position where he remained for the rest of his career. When he first played first grade in 1982 his potential as a teenager was immediately noticed, and he developed so well that by 1984 he was widely tipped for major representative honours.

These came Elias’ way in 1985 when he played in New South Wales’ first team to win a State of Origin series, and was selected for the New Zealand tour that year. Elias was subsequently selected for the following year’s Kangaroo Tour, which was undefeated through England and France, however Elias was unable to displace Royce Simmons as the Test hooker.

Elias was instrumental in Balmain’s advancement to the NSWRL Grand Final against the Canterbury Bulldogs in 1988, despite experiencing a painful rib cartilage injury during the lead-up to the finals series. Though they lost 12–24 to Canterbury, Elias won the Rugby League Week Player of the Year award (one of only two hookers to achieve this feat). He was selected for the 1988 World Cup, and only a broken thumb kept him out of representative honours in 1989. He was back at his best in Balmain’s surge to the Grand Final that year, narrowly missing a vital field-goal attempt in the second half of the overtime defeat by the Canberra Raiders, a game in which Steve Walters began to assert his dominance as one of leading hookers in the game at that time.

However, 1991 was largely plagued by injury as Alan Jones replaced Warren Ryan as Balmain coach, and though Elias was fit again in 1992, he could not displace Steve Walters from his Test spot and had many competitors for the New South Wales jersey.

Despite being diminutive in size compared to many of his opponents, Elias was a tough and aggressive player, and appeared to welcome physical confrontations. Elias and then South Sydney hooker Mario Fenech had a very competitive rivalry until Fenech left South Sydney in 1991. Elias admitted on The NRL Footy Show on 19 July 2007, that during the 1986 Semi-final between Balmain and Souths at the SCG, he was successful in getting Fenech sent off when he bit his own hand and then claimed the bite was done by Fenech. Without Fenech, Souths were knocked out of the finals race with Balmain winning 36–11.

1993 was controversial, hit hard by suspension which prevented his re-establishing his representative career, but in 1994 Elias showed some wonderful form in the State of Origin series (man of the match in the last game) and even at times for the struggling Balmain coached by former teammate Wayne Pearce. Elias missed out on selection on the 1994 Kangaroo Tour, and at age 31, he announced his retirement as a player in December.

In 2000 Elias was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia’s international standing in rugby league.

In 2005 he was named one of the 25 greatest ever NSW players.