John Sattler facts for kids

John William Sattler (born 28 July 1942 – died 20 March 2023) was a famous Australian rugby league player. He played as a prop in the 1960s and 1970s.

John Sattler was known as "Satts" and also "Gentleman John". This was because he was a tough player on the field but a kind person off it. He led the South Sydney Rabbitohs to win four championships. He also captained the Australian national team in three of his four international games. His son, Scott Sattler, also became a professional rugby league player. Scott won a championship with the Penrith Panthers in 2003.

Playing for Clubs

John Sattler was born in Telarah, New South Wales. When he was 12, his family moved to Kurri Kurri. He started playing rugby league at 16 for the Kurri Kurri team. In 1962, he played for Newcastle against a visiting British team.

The next year, he moved to Sydney and joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs. In 1967, he became the captain of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He led them to win championships in 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1971. He also captained the team in the 1969 Grand Final, where they lost to Balmain. John mostly played as a prop forward, which is where he had his greatest success.

After playing 195 games for South Sydney, John Sattler moved to Brisbane Western Suburbs in 1973. In 1975, he joined the Norths Devils as their captain and coach.

The Famous 1970 Grand Final

One of John Sattler's most famous moments was in the 1970 Grand Final. He played almost the entire game with a broken jaw. This helped his team, South Sydney, win against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

The game was played on 19 September 1970 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. About ten minutes into the game, a Manly player hit John Sattler. He suffered a double fracture to his jaw. Despite the serious injury, he told his teammate, "Hold me up so they don't know I'm hurt." He continued to play.

At half-time, South Sydney was winning. His teammates found out about his injury. But John refused treatment and insisted on playing the rest of the game. He even told his team not to try and protect him. South Sydney won the game 23–12. John went to the hospital for treatment only after receiving the trophy and giving a speech.

Playing for His Country

Because of his jaw injury, John Sattler was not chosen to captain the Australian team for the World Cup in England in 1970. However, he had already played for Australia on tours to Britain and France in 1967. He also toured New Zealand in 1969 and 1971, where he was chosen as captain. He played in four international games for Australia, captaining the team in three of them.

In 1973, he captained the Queensland state team against New South Wales. He retired from professional rugby league the following year. John Sattler was known for his toughness and mental strength.

Life After Playing Rugby

After retiring from playing, John Sattler became involved in the hotel business. He owned hotels in places like Gladstone and Bribie Island.

In 2008, John Sattler was named one of Australia's 100 Greatest Players. This was to celebrate 100 years of rugby league in Australia. In 2010, he was named captain of the Kurri Rugby League Club's "Team of the Century."

John Sattler also saved a man's life from a train at Jannali railway station. He was made a Life Member of the South Sydney Football Club in 1972. This was a special honor because he was still playing at the time.

In 2004, John was named Captain of South Sydney's "Dream Team." In 2012, the grandstand at the Kurri Kurri Rugby League Ground was named after him.

Songs and Tributes

Australian artist Perry Keyes released a song in 2007 called "The Day John Sattler Broke his Jaw." The song is about his famous moment in the 1970 Grand Final. The band The Whitlams also covered this song in 2022.

In 2023, after John Sattler passed away, the Rabbitohs team wore a special jersey. It featured the "torn rabbit" logo, which was famous from his 1970 Grand Final game. Before their game against the Manly Sea Eagles, there was a minute's silence for him. In the 13th minute of the game, the crowd gave a minute-long applause. This was because John Sattler wore the number 13 jersey for much of his career. The Rabbitohs won that game 13–12.