John Sattler was an Australian professional rugby player. He was famous in the 1960s and 1970s and captained his club, South Sydney to four premiership victories from 1967 to 1971. John Sattler was married to Barbara and they had children. In this post, we will take a look at who his wife is.
ALSO READ: Meet John Sattler’s Son, Scott Who Followed His Father’s Footsteps
John Sattler Biography
John William Sattler, better known as “Satts,” was a professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. Sattler was born on July 28, 1942, in Telarah, New South Wales, and moved to Kurri Kurri with his family when he was 12 years old. His paternal grandfather, Peter Sattler, was a German immigrant who arrived in Maitland, NSW, in the late 1890s aged 6.
Sattler attended Marist Brothers High School in Maitland and began playing rugby league at the age of 16 for Kurri Kurri, representing Newcastle against the touring British side in 1962. The following year he moved to Sydney and joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
In 1967, Sattler was appointed Souths captain and inspired them to premiership wins in four seasons – 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1971. He also led his team to the Grand Final in 1969, where they lost to Balmain.
Sattler was a rugged prop forward and could also play at lock forward, but he played his best football and enjoyed his premiership and national representative success as a prop forward. He was a hard man on the field, with a tough and aggressive playing style that earned him 15 send-offs and 30 weeks of suspensions during his career. However, he was also known as a softly-spoken gentleman off the field, earning him the nickname “Gentleman John.”
John played four tests for Australia, captaining his nation in three of those four games. He was selected for Australia’s tour of Britain and France in 1967 and in the Australian teams that toured New Zealand in 1969 and 1971, in which he was selected as captain. Despite being injured during the 1970 Grand Final, he was not selected as captain for the Australian touring side announced later that night for the World Cup in England.
In 1973, Sattler signed for Brisbane Western Suburbs and captained the Queensland state side against New South Wales before retiring from professional rugby league the following year.
Despite his poor disciplinary record, Sattler is remembered for his physical and mental toughness. He was one of the hardmen of the Australian rugby league, and his determination and leadership inspired his team to four premiership victories.
His achievements and contributions to the sport were recognized when he was named in the list of Australia’s 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code’s centenary year in Australia in 2008.
Sattler’s legacy in rugby league extended beyond his playing career. In 2010, he was named captain of Kurri Rugby League Club’s team of the century. His son, Scott Sattler, also followed in his father’s footsteps and became a professional rugby league footballer.
Meet John Sattler’s Wife, Barbara
John Sattler was married to Barbara. They had children namely Lisa and Scott. Sattler’s son Scott was also a professional rugby league footballer and the winner of the 2003 national premiership with the Penrith Panthers. There are not much details about John Sattler’s wife.
