NRL grand final 2021: South Sydney hero John Sattler on his battle and the Rabbitohs’ bid for a premiership

The story of John Sattler’s 1970 grand final heroics has been told many times, but less well known is his history with current coach Wayne Bennett.

As Wayne Bennett puts the Rabbitohs through their paces on the Gold Coast ahead of Sunday’s grand final, it is fitting that South Sydney’s greatest streetfighter is just an Adam Reynolds punt kick away.

At 79, John Sattler, the Souths captain who played 77 minutes of the 1970 grand final with a broken jaw, is hanging tough, waging his own battle in an independent care facility in the shadows of Rabbitohs training.

Three years ago, Sattler suffered a stroke. In more recent times, his mind has been eroded by the ravages of dementia.

Fox League’s broadcast of Grand Final day on Foxtel starts from 1pm with coverage of the Intrust Super Cup double-header followed by a special 2-hour Grand Final preview show.

But Souths’ Broken Jaw Hero is as stoic as ever, staring down any notion of vulnerability, his toughness and courage apt symbols of the Sattler DNA Bennett’s troops would do well to tap into as the Pride of the League chases a 22nd premiership against Penrith on Sunday night.

“It’s always great when Souths make a grand final and when they do, they very rarely lose,” said Sattler, who captained the Rabbitohs to four premierships in five seasons in 1967-68 and 1970-71.

“It’s even better when they beat Manly (as Souths did last week to reach this year’s grand final).

“It’s always a great day in rugby league when Souths beat Manly to make a grand final.”

John Sattler is Souths' great streetfighter.

It’s an enmity for Manly fuelled by Sattler’s scar tissue from the 1970 grand final, when he was clobbered in the third minute by John Bucknall, breaking his jaw in three places.

For the next 77 minutes, Sattler, blood pouring from his mouth, chanted a simple mantra.

“Bite down on your mouthguard and don’t let those Manly bastards show you are hurting,” he whispered to himself.

It was his panacea to cope with unfathomable pain.

Fast forward half-a-century and Sattler will be watching the Panthers-Souths decider from a modest bedroom in his care facility. He was there at Homebush in 2014, passing the premiership captaincy baton to John Sutton as Souths broke their 43-year title drought.

Now, he is too old, too frail, to attend Suncorp Stadium, but Sattler wants Bennett’s troops to feel his red-and-green heartbeat.

“I’m so proud of the boys,” Sattler says.

“I’ve been getting sledged here (in the care facility). One lady said, ‘John, I hope the Panthers get up’. I turned around and said, ‘Is that all you’ve got?’”

Scott Sattler says his dad was “indestructible”.

Asked about his ailing health, Sattler plays a straight-bat with the finesse of Bradman.

“I’m fine,” he says. “People keep fussing over me but I’m OK. There’s no dramas with me. People don’t have to worry. I still watch the footy every week … I love my Rabbitohs.”

The links between Sattler and South Sydney’s class of 2021 endure via Bennett.

Sattler and Bennett were teammates on Australia’s tour of New Zealand in 1971. Sattler was Souths’ reigning premiership skipper, Bennett the string bean winger who admired ‘Gentleman John’s’ back-row brutality.

Bennett is regarded as rugby league’s greatest coach, but Sattler also sees parallels with his South Sydney mentor Clive Churchill, better known as The Little Master.

“I hope Wayne can win this,” Sattler says.

“We toured together with the Australian team in 1971.

“Wayne has coached that many bloody grand finals.

“I’ve known Wayne a long time and he reminds me of Clive as a coach.

“He keeps things simple and that’s how Clive was. Clive would keep the players happy and I see that with Wayne.”

Former South Sydney star Sam Burgess and John Sattler during at the 2014 grand final. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Bennett wants Sattler to know his name is never forgotten in the flashier new environs at Redfern.

For all the multimillion-dollar upgrades and hi-tech methods that drive the modern-day South Sydney, Bennett says the Rabbitoh pioneers who dug the well on blood, sweat and tears will always be the club’s bedrock of success.

“I can tell you the current players have great respect and admiration for John Sattler,” Bennett says.

“He is regarded with great love and affection because it’s part of the DNA in the joint.

“One of the great things about Souths is there is a lot of memorabilia in there and Russell (Crowe, co-owner) has done a great job retaining that history.

“He (Sattler) sang the club song the other day on radio and all the boys were listening to him.

“They were touched by it. It was the old club song and he sung it solo and he did a great job. The boys loved it. They all know John Sattler was a great leader in that period of time and they know the story of his toughness to play with a broken jaw.

Gentleman John is a Rabbitohs icon.

“Every day our guys come to training, the legends of this club stare them in the face. They are indoctrinated on the history of South Sydney.”

There are two current Souths players that Sattler believes would have thrived in his epoch, a time when blood, broken bones, stiff-arms and flying fists were as common as scrums and backline passes.

One is Souths halfback Adam Reynolds. The other is forward ironman Cameron Murray. His description of Murray will have Souths fans salivating.

“I like that kid in the seven, he is cheeky and tough,” Sattler says of Reynolds.

“And Cameron Murray is just like Ron Coote (legendary lock).

“He is built the same as ‘Cootey’ and gets through a lot of work.

“Cootey was a great athlete, he would fly across making cover tackles, and he (Murray) is that sort of player.”

One of league’s most iconic images.

This Sunday’s grand-final will mark a remarkable occasion for the Sattler surname given that John’s son, Scott, also won a premiership with the Panthers in 2003.

The Sattler bloodlines have a special place in rugby league grand-final folklore.

The family has produced two iconic moments on the biggest stage: John’s broken-jaw heroics in 1970, and Scott’s desperate trysaving chase on Todd Byrne which inspired Penrith’s 18-6 upset of the Roosters.

“To be a father and son winning a premiership 30 years apart is something I will always treasure,” Scott Sattler says.

“The one special thing from that night (in 2003) was going over to dad at full-time. I remember saying to him now I know how you feel.

“I grabbed dad and we walked up the tunnel arm in arm. I wish it was a moment in time that was frozen. I wish I had a photo of that embrace to keep forever.

“I’m torn this week. I loved Souths growing up because of Dad. A regular afternoon for me would be digging out one of dad’s playing jerseys and playing imaginary games.

“I would pretend to be Bob McCarthy or Ron Coote. Michael Cleary (legendary Souths winger) was my godfather.

John Sattler is excited for Souths as they head into the grand final. Picture: Jerad Williams

“One of my fondest memories is the Souths forward pack coming over to Dad’s for lunch. I would sit on the end of the table listening to their war stories.

“I had these memories of these Souths legends tattooed on my brain.

“But then I love Penrith because of my success there and I like the youth of the current day squad … they represent what rugby league means to the Penrith community.”

Of John’s health battle, Scott says: “It’s hard. It affects me. Growing up, dad was indestructible.

“Your parents spend their whole life protecting you and I guess now this is my chance to help my dad and be there for him.

“I see dad once or twice a week. He has shrunk about six inches, but he is as healthy as can be.

“He still thinks he is as fit as a Mallee bull. That’s the fighter in dad. He is the ultimate survivor … he is as tough as a two-dollar steak.

“I love him for that. He just keeps on keeping on.

Nathan Cleary is free to play in Sunday’s NRL decider.

Cleary ‘lucky’ to escape ban, Luai HIA in spotlight

Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary is free to play in the grand final after escaping a ban for his lifting tackle on Melbourne’s Kenny Bromwich.

Cleary was placed on report for the shot on the Storm back-rower in the first half of Penrith’s 10-6 win over Melbourne on Saturday.

Despite coach Ivan Cleary’s confidence that his son would escape a suspension, the Panthers would still have breathed a sigh of relief when the match review committee charge sheets dropped on Sunday morning.

But former NRL match review chairman Greg McCallum thinks Cleary can consider himself lucky to be free to play on the NRL grand final given he had loading.

Asked for his expert view on the tackle, McCallum said: “He contributed into lifting the player into a dangerous position but only just. The mitigation is there is another player in the tackle but it was (Cleary’s) lift that actually elevated him into that position.”

McCallum said the definition of a dangerous lifting tackle was when a defender placed his hands between an attacking player’s legs and lifted him past the horizontal.

“That is what you define a dangerous tackle. It would tick enough boxes for it to be a grade one.

“Look, the player landed mainly on his back. He grabbed the back of his neck but I don’t think his neck hit the ground.”

McCallum said the match review committee looked to have taken into account the second defender’s actions in the tackle by not charging Cleary.

“I think a little lucky. But good for the game,” McCallum said.

Meanwhile, the NRL will review the head injury assessment that cleared Jarome Luai to return to the field after the Penrith five-eighth said he ‘blacked out’ after the incident.

Under the NRL’s category one, symptoms – like confirmed loss of consciousness – automatically rules a player out of the game.

But a category two symptom, like ‘possible’ loss of consciousness, requires the player to be taken off the field for an assessment. If the player passes the HIA, he then can return to the field.

Luai was running the ball when tackled by Melbourne’s Harry Grant. As Luai was falling to the ground, Cameron Munster collected the playmaker across the head. Luai appeared dazed and was taken off the field by a trainer.

Luai later told media: “I was a bit dazed but I came to light. I switched back on pretty quickly. I passed the HIA pretty easily.

The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley told News Corp the incident, like every other head knock, would be reviewed.

Jarome Luai was taken off after being dazed by a Cameron Munster hit

“The NRL reviews all HIA cases in every game to ensure compliance with our rules and procedures,” Annesley said.

“These are complex medical issues that often require further information from the experts who conduct the clinical assessment of players during the game. This standard process will apply over the coming days as it has all season”.

There is no suggestion Penrith did not comply with all relevant protocols.

If Luai is found to have suffered a concussion, he would have to enter return to play protocols in the lead-up to Sunday’s grand final against South Sydney.

The time bomb adding to Panthers star’s grand final worry

– Travis Meyn

Nathan Cleary’s shoulder is a ticking time bomb with the Penrith halfback revealing he needs surgery after next Sunday’s grand final against South Sydney.

Cleary will likely go under the knife to repair the injury he has been carrying since NSW’s Origin II victory in June.

“Yeah, probably, but we’ll jump that bridge when we get to it,” Cleary said when asked if he needs surgery.

The Panthers are back in the grand final.

Penrith raced out to a lead and dared Storm to run them down.

“I don’t think of it (when playing). I’ve gained confidence from putting in the work at training and strengthening it.

“I wouldn’t go on the field if I was worried. It’s not painful, it’s just the worry of getting it in an awkward position.

“It’s been a work in progress each week trying to strengthen it. They (medical staff) have put so many hours into me.”

One game away: The Panthers now face South Sydney in the decider.

PANTHERS ON THE PROWL

The Panthers have been statistically the NRL’s best-performed team of the past two years and now get another opportunity to win a premiership.

“I’m super proud of the boys,” Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said.

“It was courageous. We know the pain of losing (a grand final) so we’re looking forward to putting in another great performance.

“We wanted to make this club a genuine top four team and premiership threat. You can’t do it without really strong defence.

“Every time you play the Storm it’s a huge challenge and it’s an honour to beat them.”

Nathan Cleary will play a key role in the grand final.

CLEARY v BENNETT ROUND 2

While some of the game’s biggest stars will be on show for the Suncorp grand final, the lead-up could provide a spicy prelude.

Rival coaches Wayne Bennett (Souths) and Ivan Cleary (Penrith) were embroiled in a war of words before their qualifying final showdown.

Cleary was incensed Bennett had questioned Penrith’s kick blocking tactics with the NRL, setting off a slanging match between the rivals.

When it came to the game, Souths triumphed 16-10 in Townsville to set up a saloon passage to the grand final.

They will meet again next Sunday with Bennett gunning for his eighth premiership at a third club while Cleary is still searching for his first in what will be his 370th game.

“I didn’t engage with Wayne,” Cleary said.

“I’m not going to be doing that (again).

“I don’t think (it was a distraction for the players). Wayne is the best coach probably of all-time, certainly in my memory.

“I’ll be doing what I’m good at and staying in the background this week.”

Ryan Papenhuyzen got the storm back in the game late.

STORM STUMBLE

The Storm’s hunt for back-to-back premierships will continue.

After producing one of the most dominant seasons in history, which saw them equal a record 19 straight wins and crowned minor premiers, the Storm faltered when it mattered most.

This game was set up for a dominant Melbourne victory.

The Storm were fresh after a week off and fielding their best 17 for the first time this year against a Penrith team coming off a brutal elimination final win against Parramatta.

But the Storm saved one of their worst performances of the year for the grand final qualifier.

They were clunky, made uncharacteristic errors and looked flustered by the fired-up Panthers desperate to avenge last year’s grand final defeat.

To make matters worse, the Storm lost key players Christian Welch (HIA) and Brandon Smith (shoulder) inside 15 minutes and never recovered.

The Storm battled bravely to stay in the game and scored in the 63rd minute through Ryan Papenhuyzen but this loss will hurt for a long time.

“We got what we deserved tonight,” Storm coach Craig Bellamy said.

“It is really hard to take. It was one of our poorest performances of the year. We trained well and I didn’t see that coming at all.

“I can’t be too critical of tonight. It was disappointing but what these guys have done for two years (has been incredible).

“The week off these days is a real blessing. I don’t think we were underdone but who knows. It was just really disappointing. I can’t think of another word.”

Christian Welch spent most of the game on the sidelines.

Why didn’t concussed Welch leave field straight away?

– Michael Carayannis

There were concerns that Christian Welch was allowed to stay on the field for minutes before he was taken from the field with a concussion.

Welch lasted just eight minutes when he suffered a head knock making a tackle in the opening stages.

Play was stopped minutes later when Welch was assessed by a trainer. He was allowed to stay on the field but was eventually replaced.

Welch did no return. The 27-year-old has a history of concussions. He was ruled out of Origin II last year because of a head knock

“He has to leave the field, Welch,” said Michael Ennis on Fox League.

“You can’t stop the play and the player is allowed to remain on the field. If play is stopped it has to be so significant the player has to leave the field.

“You can hear (referee) Gerard Sutton say he has to go to the trainer.”

Welch would have been fighting an uphill battle to be fit for the grand final had the Storm won. In June, Welch acknowledged his concerns with concussion.

“I suppose (you get concerned) when you see a Boyd Cordner story happen,” he said.

“I’ve had a few head knocks. I haven’t had any severe ones but it’s something that’s a bit of a concern.”

Cameron Munster cuts a downcast figure after the defeat.

Panthers enforcers under grand final injury cloud

– Fatima Kdouh

Penrith’s injury crisis has deepened after captain Nathan Cleary confirmed behemoth forward Tevita Pangai Junior is ‘fighting the clock’ to be fit for next weekend’s NRL grand final against South Sydney.

A battered and bruised Panthers outfit managed to get the better of a well rested and healthy Storm in a gripping encounter last night at Suncorp Stadium.

But it has come at a cost with both prop Pangai Junior and James Fisher Harris sustaining knee injuries.

“Tevita will be fighting the clock next week. He’ll get scans to see what it’s like but I have full faith in our medical team that they will do whatever they can to be on the field,” Nathan said.

Tevita Pangai Junior is in doubt for the grand final.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said Pangai Junior will be assessed on Monday but has definitely ‘done something’.

Pangai Junior received treatment for his knee in the second half, which limited the forward’s game time.

The former Brisbane prop was called into the starting side for Moses Leota, who was a late omission from Saturday’s game with a calf injury.

“Not sure yet,” Cleary said when asked about the extent of Pangai Junior’s injury.

“He has got something, we’ll tidy it all up in the morning and see how we’re looking.”

Cleary revealed Fisher Harris carried a knee injury into the Storm game but the complaint was unlikely to stop the enforcer from lining-up in back-to-back grand finals.

“He took that into the game,” Cleary said.

“It was a bit of a funny one, he was like Lazerus, he just kept getting up and going on. There are a few of us a bit like that, obviously we’ll have to check him out but I’m sure it will be hard to keep him out.”

Five-eighth Jarome Luai also passed a HIA after he landed awkwardly in a tackle. The livewire returned in the second half to help step up a try to winger Brian To’o.

“He was fine,” Cleary said of Luai’s head knock in the first half.

Ivan Cleary is confident his youthful side will be fine for next Sunday’s big game.

Nathan Cleary’s right shoulder survived another gruelling 80-minute test. Melbourne forward Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi did their best to test out the stability of the half-back’s shoulder.

This is Penrith’s third straight brutal encounter but coach Cleary is confident that thanks to his squad’s youth, the patched up Panthers can match it with Wayne Bennett’s Rabbitohs next Sunday.

“We are even more battlehand now but I guess we will find out next week, I guess how much juice that takes out of you,” Cleary said.

“I have said before that our boys are a young team and they never seem to be lacking energy. I’m pretty confident if it’s a scrap we’ll stand up but it’s a different game in entirely different circumstances. We’ll see how that one goes. But we’ll be ready.”