Mark Ella, Ken Catchpole, David Campese and Col Windon named rugby union invincibles

MARK Ella, Ken Catchpole, David Campese and Col Windon were set apart as the best four to have worn Wallaby gold in the post-war era.

MARK Ella still gets surprised when people recognise him.

"I retired in 1985, it's almost 30 years ago," Ella said. "I get astounded when I walk around the streets and when I travel, people still remember me.

"You think you went OK, but never that good. For people to remember me so positively 30 years after I retired is indicative, I guess, of the way I played the game and what I stood for."

For all those reasons - and his brief but spectacular Wallabies career - Ella was recognised again yesterday.The brilliant five-eighth was named one of the four inaugural Wallabies Invincibles; the brother award to rugby league's Immortals.

Ella, peerless halfback Ken Catchpole, genius wing David Campese and athletic flanker Col Windon were set apart as the best four to have worn Wallaby gold in the post-war era.

Windon, who played in the 1940s and died in 2003, was represented by his daughters at the ceremony in Sydney yesterday.

"I am obviously honoured," Ella said. "To be recognised as in the top four is certainly special. When you play the game, you just play it because you enjoy the game and you want to represent your country."

An esteemed judging panel including Bob Dwyer, Sir Nick Shehadie, Alan Jones and Rod Macqueen overlooked huge names like John Eales, Nick Farr-Jones and Tim Horan to install the quartet as the first Invincibles.

"In the end, it wasn't as hard a task as it seemed it would be at the start, because these four names stood out like beacons," Jones said. "There are a galaxy of great names we left out. The next time will be more difficult than it was for us."