Steve Ella

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Steve Ella
Personal information
Full nameStephen John Ella
Born (1960-07-28) 28 July 1960 (age 63)
Mount Pritchard, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
PositionCentre, Five-eighth, Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1979–88 Parramatta Eels 153 94 104 6 552
1985–86 Wigan 23 12 0 0 48
1988–89 Wakefield Trinity 20 7 18 2 66
Total 196 113 122 8 666
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1982–85
Australia
 4 1 0 0 4
1983–85 City Firsts 2 1 0 0 4
1983–85 New South Wales 8 3 0 0 12
1988 Rest of the World 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [1][2]

Stephen John Ella (born 28 July 1960) is an Australian former

Australia, playing in 4 Tests for Australia between 1983 and 1985. He is a cousin of the Ella brothers who were prominent in Australian rugby union
in the 1980s.

Club career

Steve Ella had a ten-year career with Parramatta playing every position in the Eels' backline, though mostly playing at either centre or five-eighth.

Nicknamed the "Zip Zip Man", Ella was a member of Parramatta's star studded backline of the early 1980s, alongside

Eric Grothe, Sr. It was only the presence of five-eighth Kenny and the partnership he had with halfback
Sterling that saw Ella play most of his first grade games in the centres where alongside Cronin he formed the NSWRL premiership's most lethal pairing.

Ella was a member of four Premiership winning sides at Parramatta in

Manly-Warringah
.

After having scored 79 tries for Parramatta between 1981 and 1985, Ella played in England with

John Player Special Trophy Final during the 1985–86 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 11 January 1986.[5]

When Ella returned to Parramatta early in

captain of Wakefield Trinity in 1988–89. Ella did return to Parramatta for the 1989 season, but did not play a single game due to injury. After a specialist advised him not to risk further damage to his shoulder,[16]
Ella announced his retirement in July two weeks shy of his twenty-ninth birthday.

First grade matches

Team Matches Years
Parramatta 156 1979-88
Wigan 23 1985-86
Wakefield 20 1989
City Firsts 2 1983, 1985
New South Wales 8 1982-85
Australia 4 1982-85
Rest of the World 1 1988

Club records and statistics

Ella scored 544 career points for Parramatta in 156 first grade premiership games putting him in third place on the club's all-time points list. In 1982 he was the season's top try-scorer and also set the club record with a total of 23 tries in a season, until Semi Radradra scored a total of 24 tries in the 2015 season thus breaking the record. He scored 92 career tries for Parramatta placing him in fourth place on the club's all time tryscoring table behind Jarryd Hayne, Brett Kenny and Luke Burt.

Representative career

Steve Ella made seven

New South Wales
between 1983 and 1985.

He was first selected for the Blues in Game 1 of the

Queensland went on to win the game 24–12. He was then selected in the centres alongside Mick Cronin for Game 2 at the Sydney Cricket Ground where he scored a try in the Blues' 10–6 triumph in muddy conditions for their sole win of the series. That game was notable because other than fullback Marty Gurr from Eastern Suburbs, the entire NSW backline consisted of Parramatta players (Grothe and Hunt on the wings, Ella and Cronin in the centres and Kenny and Sterling the halves). The NSW side that night was captained by Parramatta captain Ray Price while Eels forward Stan Jurd was on the bench. He retained his place in the side for Game 3 of the series in Brisbane, though Qld, led by their captain and Test 5/8 Wally Lewis outclassed NSW 43—22 after leading by 33—0 midway through the second half.[17]

Ella then played Games 1 and 3 of 1984 and in all three games of 1985 when the Blues eventually had a series triumph over Queensland.

At the national level, he was selected for the 1982 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France and appeared in twelve minor games, though he didn't play a Test on tour. In the tour match against Wales in Cardiff, Ella scored four tries equaling the record for an Australian in a full international. On that same tour in a game in France against Aquitaine in Villeneuve he scored seven tries equaling a record set by Cec Blinkhorn in the 1920s.

Steve Ella made his Test début for

Great Britain Lions, he made his return to the test team for the three test 1985 Trans-Tasman series against New Zealand.[18]
This would prove to be the last occasion when Ella represented Australia.

Ella also made two appearances for NSW City. He made his first appearance for City in 1983, playing 5/8 and scoring a try in their 30–14 win over NSW Country in Newcastle. His last appearance, also in Newcastle, came in City's 18–12 win in 1985 with Ella again playing five-eighth.[19]

Competition App T G FG Pts W L D Win % NRL NRL 157 93 104 6 548 106 50 1 67.52% NRL Finals 19 7 ‑ ‑ 25 14 5 0 73.68% Australia 13 22 3 ‑ 72 13 0 0 100.00%

Where is he now? Steve is a proud Yuin man, and has spent over two decades saving lives as a drug and alcohol counsellor. As of February 2023 Steve heads up the Aboriginal Health Service at Gosford Hospital.

References

  1. ^ NRL Stats
  2. ^ Rugby League Project
  3. ^ "1985 Tour Match: Wigan 14 New Zealand 8". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  4. ^ "1985–1986 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  5. ^ "1985–1986 John Player Special Trophy Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  6. ^ Tait, Paul (9 May 1986). "Eels: Hands off Our Money". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 35.
  7. ^ Clarkson, Alan (25 May 1986). "Ella the Latest Parramatta Casualty". Sun-Herald. p. 82.
  8. ^ Tait, Paul (13 June 1986). "Norths Raid Queensland". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 39.
  9. ^ Tait, Paul (16 July 1986). "Cronin Back in Night of Shocks". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 56.
  10. ^ Clarkson, Alan (21 July 1986). "Sterling Broken Arm Fear". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 53.
  11. ^ Clarkson, Alan (24 February 1987). "Souths Unveil Speedy Mavin: Local Junior Promoted for Season's Opener". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 43.
  12. ^ Tait, Paul (27 March 1987). "Parramatta wait for Ella Verdict". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 35.
  13. ^ Tait, Paul (31 March 1987). "Elias, Simmons Unhappy Hookers". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 42.
  14. ^ MacDonald, John (28 May 1987). "Grothe's Season Appears Over". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 43.
  15. ISBN 0949853194
  16. ^ Clarkson, Alan (16 July 1989). "Bubble Set to Burst". Sun-Herald. p. 69.
  17. ^ 1983 State of Origin series at Rugby League Project
  18. ^ 1985 Trans-Tasman Test series at Rugby League Project
  19. ^ Steve Ella – NSW City stats at Rugby League Project

Sources

  • Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
  • NRL Official 2007 Season Guide, News Magazines Surry Hills Sydney, for the National Rugby League

External links

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