They are the much loved mascots of the mighty Manly Sea Eagles.
Last Monday, the hard working Ellie and Egor were honoured at the Sea Eagles presentation night by receiving the Steve Menzies Medallion in recognition of a volunteer or employee who has gone above and beyond their club duties.
Manly Media Manager Wayne Cousins caught up with Ellie and Egor ahead of this Saturday night's elimination final against Penrith at Allianz Stadium, where they are again set to entertain the Sea Eagles faithful as part of our home game.
WC: Take us back to your very first game as the Sea Eagles mascots?
Ellie: I think it was 2009. I had white shorts on, a pink polo shirt, and I had nothing to offer in terms of dancing, but I loved it. I can’t even remember if the boys won. It was the third best day of my life behind getting married, the birth of my son, and the 2011 grand final win.
Egor: I was just excited to be out there with my best friend. I remember calling Ellie because the football club needed someone.
WC: How much has the costume changed over the years?.
Ellie: I now wear a bow in my hair. Monique Carroll (Seabirds choreographer) has made me a good skirt and some pom poms. I look the goods.
Egor: It has changed a bit over the years. I look like I have jaundice now because I am bright yellow. But I look great in photos.
WC: What do you do for fancy dress parties. Do you get requests to wear the mascot suits?
Egor: I do get asked to wear it. People want to wear the costume but I don’t allow them. My niece requested Egor the Eagle instead of a clown for her birthday party. So, yes, I went as Egor!
WC: How did you survive the heavy rain at Lottoland for the match against Newcastle. It must be hard to dance in conditions like that?
Ellie: It gets tough. The suit gets heavy. It smells before you put it on, it smells after you take it off, but I love it.
WC: What does it mean to you to run the Manly team out?
Ellie: We hear the roar when we first come out. We hear everything. When we win, it’s personal. I feel like we are part of the team. We get the crowd going and we bring the boys home. I can’t wait for the finals.
Egor: We like to get the party started. To hear everyone chanting ‘Manly’ is awesome. I remember a couple of grand finals where they started singing ‘Eagle Rock’. It gave me goose bumps. The 40-0 grand final win was the best ever.
WC: You also have the honour of dancing at home games with the Manly Seabirds. How good is that?
Ellie: Monique runs the best cheerleader squad in the NRL. We have to live up to that. We do a lot of practice. Egor has his own signature moves!.
Egor: It is a lot harder than people think but we are fortunate to have the best in the business in Monique. She makes it very easy for us.
WC: Finally, what does winning the Steve Menzies Medallion mean to you both?
Ellie: Winning this award is everything. It shows we are included. The Sea Eagles take us away with them for interstate home games. We just love what we do for the club.
Egor: We are part of the Sea Eagles family. It’s a wonderful feeling.
