For most Sharks supporters, 1989 is best remembered for the thrilling mid-week play-off versus the Brisbane Broncos.
However, it was also the year that Sharks legend Gavin Miller played a vital role in what is usually regarded as one of the most memorable marketing efforts in Australian sport.
During this week in 1989, NSWRL General Manager John Quayle landed in London with football shirts, flawless leather Steeden balls, and NSWRL-branded goalpost pads.
Quayle had secretly flown to the United Kingdom to meet Tina Turner, an international pop sensation. A few months before, the NSWRL had purchased the rights to Turner’s 1986 song ‘What You Get Is What You See’.
While Turner’s engagement in rugby league is widely chronicled, it’s important to acknowledge the unsung hero who shared the spotlight with her throughout that campaign: Shark number 137, Gavin Miller.
Miller’s voyage to destiny began at the conclusion of the 1988 season. Miller returned to his English club, Hull Kingston Rovers, after scoring a crucial try in the Kangaroos’ World Cup final victory and winning the prestigious Dally M award for the best player in the NSWRL.
Quayle’s original goal was to include another Sharks legend, Andrew Ettingshausen, beside Turner. However, due to bad weather conditions in northern England, Ettingshausen was unable to attend the shoot.
Miller, who was initially intended to play a supporting role in the campaign, is entrusted with facilitating Ettingshausen’s participation. When Ettingshausen became unavailable, Miller, who was injured at the time and was always resourceful, stepped into the spotlight himself, grabbing the chance for the commercial shoot.
“So, Gavin calls me back,” Quayle said, “and says, John no worries. I can get Cliffy [Lyons] and me. We’ll meet her and do the ads. And it worked perfectly.”
Despite his considerable involvement and appearance with Turner in a number of promotional pictures, including the cover of the 1989 Big League magazine, Miller was noticeably removed from the commercial’s final edit. Even Ettingshausen, the league’s poster boy and first choice co-star, was conspicuously absent from the final edit.
The two-minute promo, geared primarily at wooing new female rugby league fans, featured a slew of the game’s greats sweating it out in pre-season. However, only one Cronulla player was highlighted: Barry Russell, the 1988 Rothman’s Medal winner and Shark number 202.
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Miller, reflecting on the snub, remarked, “Yep, they definitely shot a scene, and I was in it. Cliffy (Lyons) and I were sitting on a bench in a dressing room, Tina walked in, and there we were. Why it didn’t make it (onto the commercial) I don’t know.”
Despite the snub, Miller’s 1989 season soared to unprecedented heights. He captained NSW in all three State of Origin matches, guided Cronulla to successive finals, secured his second Dally M Medal, clinched the Rothman’s Medal and was crowned Rugby League Week Player of the Year.
To this day, Miller stands alone as the only player to achieve the rare feat of winning a Dally M, Man of Steel, Rothman’s Medal and Rugby League Week Player of the Year award.
