Former Rugby League player for the Parramatta Eels club Steve Ella.SMH SPECTRUM Fairfax Photo Library photo by Paul Mathews taken on 7th of May, 1983
Steve Ella is known for a lot of things.
His fancy footwork. His combination with Mick Cronin. His part in the Parramatta Eels' four premierships. But the fleet-footed centre will always be known as: The Zip Zip man.
"It was mentioned in a newspaper article in 1981 and when I came to training all the boys starting calling me that and it stuck," Ella said.
"Being a young fella it was a bit different at first but over time I got used to it and people still call me that today."
Ella, 52, is one half of the most famous centre combinations in Parramatta history.
He played his part in the golden era of the club that yielded four premierships.
It also produced eight appearances in the sky blue of NSW and four appearances in the green and gold of Australia.
For Ella, who grew in the heart of south Sydney, it was a dream come true.
Not just the winning - of which they had their fair share with the likes of Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Mick Cronin, Ray Price and company in the team — but for mateship, comradeship and good times.
"Basically, it was a lot of fun," said Ella, who played a decade in the blue and gold between 1979-1988.
"We enjoyed each other's company on and off the field, before and after training; we were good mates, that enjoyed playing together and that showed on the field.
"That mateship spread throughout the club all through the grades and made the whole club a great place to be."
Today the former Mount Pritchard junior works with NSW Health, in particular the Aboriginal population. He is heading a push to see more Aborigines reach their academic potential through university. As luck would have it, he also thinks the Eels are on track to reach their potential under new coach Ricky Stuart.
"I have always said winning starts in the front office and everything they have done so far has been positive and they are setting good structures in place for the future," he said.
"I hope to take my boys to a few games this year and hopefully the Eels can push for a spot in the eight."
So, in a career littered with highlights, what was Ella's favourite?
"It's hard to narrow it down to one," he said. "Obviously, the four premierships, the 1982 Kangaroo tour, beating Manly in back-to-back grand finals and beating the Bulldogs in 1986 after they beat us in 1984. I was lucky to have plenty of highlights."