Back in the early 1990s, when Elle Macpherson was a world-famous supermodel and Andrew Ettingshausen was the heartthrob captain of the Cronulla Sharks, she was photographed handing him an award for his 200th game.
It was a shot that electrified the country; Australia’s most beautiful woman with footy’s most handsome man. “I just remember thinking he was spunky,” recalled Macpherson, whose father was the boss of the Sharks. “And he still is.”
Former Cronulla Sharks legend Andrew “ET” Ettingshausen poses with former super-model Elle Macpherson to recreate an iconic ’90s NRL moment.Credit: NRL
The pair re-created the photograph in Las Vegas on Friday, local time, where the Sharks will play in the NRL’s season kick-off the following day. Instead of a golden boot, Macpherson handed Ettingshausen a helmet.
They were almost 30 years older but no less photogenic. Macpherson, now 60, had not forgotten her modelling skills; flicked hair, ready smile, myriad poses. Ettingshausen, no stranger to the camera himself, was wooden by comparison.
By the end of the brief shoot, Ettingshausen, now 59, had drifted away and Macpherson was alone, throwing a football in the air. “C’mon Sharkies,” she said.
Ettingshausen blushed at her “spunky” remark. “That’s a bit of an honour,” he said. “I’ll whack that one on the wall.”
Macpherson’s father, Peter Gow, was the boss of Cronulla in the 1990s, steering it through a period of financial turmoil. She posed with Ettingshausen back in 1993 to support the Sharks, and re-created the photo in Las Vegas for the same reason.
Macpherson and Ettingshausen pose together in 1993, to mark his 200th game.
Gow’s relationship with the club has had ups and downs; he was forced to resign as chief executive after an incident on Anzac Day in 1999, when he tore up a jersey of rival club St George and punched a former player who tried to get it back (he later said it was a joke gone wrong).
While Gow was making headlines on the back page, his daughter making them on the front. The early 1990s were the height of the supermodel era, when a small group of models, including Elle “The Body” Macpherson, became global celebrities.
Due to her father’s connection with the club, she agreed to present Ettingshausen with a golden boot to mark his milestone in 1993.
“She was the goddess of models in Australia back then,” he said. “We were at that stage in the game where it was very much a man’s sport … the league wanted to attract people to the game and what perfect person for us to have as an ambassador.”
Macpherson also remembers that day. “Everyone was jealous of me having my picture taken with him, and here I am doing it again. He is truly an icon.”
Macpherson, who now lives in Florida, is still a Sharks supporter. “With my dad being such a longtime, loving supporter for the Shire and for the team – I grew up watching the Sharks so it’s so special to be here,” she said.
“We’ve been working on this for a year. As soon as we found out that they were playing here, we were planning this trip, so I’m really excited for him, I’m excited for us, and I’m excited for the team, and I’m excited for Australia.
“It’s so wonderful for us to be able to showcase our beloved league in America.”
Macpherson surprised Gow, who has battled illness for the past few years, with tickets to Las Vegas so he could watch Cronulla play Penrith in the season opener. She went to Las Vegas to meet him, but will not be able to attend the match.
The author flew to Las Vegas as a guest of the NRL.
