Playing Career
Vital Statistics
- Full Name
- John William Sattler
- Nickname(s)
- Satts
- Born
- Sunday, 26th July, 1942
- Died
- Monday, 20th March, 2023 (Aged 80 years and 238 days)
- Place Of Birth
- Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia
Awards & Accolades
Known Family Links
- Son
- Scott Sattler
Biography
After an uneasy start to his career John Sattler proved to be one of the greatest captains in the history of the Souths club. A late starter in the game, the young firebrand played for Kurri Kurri in the early 1960s and represented Newcastle against Great Britain in 1962. Coming to Souths, Sattler quickly earned a reputation as a hothead and was sent off on several occasions. He played in the young Rabbitohs team that lost to St George in the 1965 grand final and while the club was on the verge of greatness, the turning point proved to be Sattler's selection as captain in 1967. Souths played in five straight grand finals under his leadership, winning four (1967-68, 1970-71). Sattler toured with the 1967-68 Kangaroos, playing in 9 minor matches, and after captaining NSW in 1969, led Australia on a whirlwind tour of NZ (six matches in 13 days including three Tests). In 1970 he captained Australia in the Second Test against Great Britain and would have led Australia into the World Cup competition (Graeme Langlands was injured) but for a sickening injury suffered in the grand final against Manly. Sattler may be tired of being constantly reminded of his act of courage, but to play the majority of a match with a broken jaw is remarkable. When Souths were beaten in the semi-finals in 1972, Sattler went to Brisbane and captained Queensland in 1973. A great ambassador for the code, he was later involved in the promotion of the G’Coast club into the Sydney premiership in 1988. In 2004 he was named captain of Souths’ ‘Team of the Century’.
- ALAN WHITICKER
Playing Career Statistics
All statistics shown in this section are based only on data available in the RLP database, and are not necessarily a complete and/or 100% accurate representation of a player's career. This information should be used as a guide only. If you see a question mark (?), it denotes that the figure is not available.
To view a list of corresponding matches, click on the List button.
Competitions | ||||||||||||||
Competition | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tour Matches | Newcastle Firsts (AU) | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
Preseason Cup | 49 | 4 | - | - | 12 | 34 | 13 | 2 | 69.39% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) | 195 | 12 | - | - | 36 | 130 | 64 | 1 | 66.67% | List | ||||
NSWRFL Finals | 15 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 73.33% | List | ||||
City vs Country Firsts | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | ||||
Interstate Matches | 7 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 3 | 0 | 57.14% | List | ||||
Tour Matches | Australia | 6 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 50.00% | List | |||
Test Series | 3 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33% | List | ||||
The Ashes | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
Midweek Cup | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | List | ||||
| ||||||||||||||
Test Matches - By Team | ||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | |||
Australia | 1969-71 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25.00% | List | |||
| ||||||||||||||
Australia - By Team | ||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | |||
Newcastle (AU) | 1962 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
NSW Firsts | 1969 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
NSW City Firsts | 1969 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
NSW City Seconds | 1970, 1972 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | List | |||
QLD Firsts | 1973 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00% | List | |||
Overall | 1962-1973 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 8 | 3 | 0 | 72.73% | List | |||
| ||||||||||||||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Year | ||||||||||||||
Team | Season | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1963 | 16 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 25.00% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1964 | 16 | - | - | - | - | 11 | 5 | 0 | 68.75% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1965 | 18 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 61.11% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1966 | 16 | - | - | - | - | 8 | 8 | 0 | 50.00% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1967 | 22 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 77.27% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1968 | 25 | - | - | - | - | 18 | 7 | 0 | 72.00% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1969 | 20 | - | - | - | - | 16 | 4 | 0 | 80.00% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1970 | 22 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 77.27% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1971 | 18 | 2 | - | - | 6 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 77.78% | List | |||
South Sydney | NSWRFL 1972 | 22 | 4 | - | - | 12 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 63.64% | List | |||
NSWRFL Premiership (NRL) - By Team | ||||||||||||||
Team | Years | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts | W | L | D | Win % | |||
South Sydney | 1963-72 | 195 | 12 | - | - | 36 | 130 | 64 | 1 | 66.67% | List |
Contributions:
Paul Carter, Greg Fiveash, Andrew Ferguson, Shawn Dollin, Rugby League Tables, Alan Katzmann, Max Turner, Michael Borg, Bill Bates, AJ Lucantonio
Your Say
20/03/2023
In his post footy years John managed our local pub. The place was always packed because he created a great aptmosphere. He treaty the ladies with great respect giving a flower to each lady there. Any trouble makers were quickly shown the door. He would sometimes stop at our table and drink someone’s beer down in one gulp after which he would shout the table. He was a genuine nice guy and much loved. He will be missed.
Want to have your say about this player? Add a comment.