John Sattler, a legend in Australian rugby league, passed away at the age of 80.
After a valiant battle with dementia, the former captain of the South Sydney Rabbitohs lost his battle.
Between 1967 and 1971, Sattler led his rugby league team to four championships.
Additionally, despite having a broken jaw, he famously played the majority of the 1970 championship game.
After playing 38 games for semi-pro team Kurri Kurri, forward Sattler played an amazing 197 games for the Rabbitohs.
Additionally, he played a key role in four Test matches for Australia and made four appearances for New South Wales and Queensland, respectively.
Sattler was cited as one of the top 100 athletes in his nation in 2008.
That same year, he was also admitted into the NRL Hall of Fame.
Additionally, Scott, his son, was a premiership-winning rugby league player who played lock for teams like the Gold Coast Chargers and Penrith Panthers.
The Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese led the outpouring of tributes to Sattler, praising him as a “legendary player” who was tough on the field but a true gentleman off it.
“He was an inspirational leader who, decades after his retirement, took his rightful place at the front of the marches for South Sydney’s reinstatement.”
A fan declared: “One of the NRL’s greatest warriors – John Sattler. A true legend of the game who never shied away from a challenge and always played with heart and soul.
Another added: “Some of my earliest memories of The Greatest Game – Sattler drew ground crowds and television audiences alike. A Champion is lost. May he rest peacefully.”
South Sydney chair Nicholas Pappas said: “If anyone is to epitomise the true spirit of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, it is John Sattler.
“He bled red and green. He would do anything for his teammates. He never took a backwards step. He always led from the front.
“He was tough and brave but fair, uncompromising on the field and empathetic off it, and he truly epitomised everything that we want the Rabbitohs to be.
“His favourite saying was ‘I play to win — everyone knows that’. There is nothing more ‘South Sydney Rabbitohs’ than that.
“He always held the Rabbitohs dear to his heart and everyone here at the Rabbitohs always held ‘Satts’ dear to ours.
“Our deepest and most sincere condolences go out to his son Scott and the entire Sattler family, his former teammates, and all of his friends that he has touched over the years.
“Rest in peace, ‘Satts’.”
