Sullivan, recruited from Ormond Amateur, started out at Richmond as a centre half-forward but was later used in the ruck and at centre half-back.[2][3][4] It was as a centre half-back that Sullivan played in the 1942 VFL Grand Final, but he wasn't able to steer his side to a win. He didn't feature at all in the 1944 and 1945 seasons, then played the first six rounds in 1946, before transferring to Williamstown.[2][5] From 1947 to 1950, Sullivan was captain-coach of Hobart and led them to a TANFL premiership in the last of those years.[6] He won the William Leitch Medal in 1947 and represented Tasmania at the 1950 Brisbane Carnival.[7][8]