South Sydney rugby league great John Sattler battling concussion effects

One of rugby league’s toughest players, John Sattler, is now paying the price of a brutal era in the game. And it’s why his son Scott has thrown his support behind the NRL’s high-shot crackdown.

Former Queensland Origin lock Scott Sattler has thrown his support behind the code’s high-shot crackdown following revelations his father, Souths legend John, is battling dementia.

Bulldogs great Steve Mortimer revealed his battle with dementia on Tuesday and Sattler is the latest rugby league icon suffering major memory loss which his son Scott believes is related to the many concussions he suffered during his Souths career.

Sattler, 79 next month, is revered for playing with a broken jaw in the 1970 grand final against Manly. His son Scott says his father is paying the price of a brutal era in rugby league and has thrown his support behind ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys’ crackdown on foul play.

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South Sydney great John Sattler and his son, Scott.

“Dad was diagnosed officially last year with dementia,” Scott said.

“I’ve always suspected for a lot longer that he was suffering from memory loss.

“I have no doubt the punishment dad copped during his career has played a role in his health today. He suffered a stroke a few years ago and that is also a factor.

“I fully support Peter V’landys, Andrew Abdo (NRL CEO) and Graham Annesley (NRL head of football). It’s time as a game we got serious about head trauma.

“In 1972, dad was knocked out in a game at Brookvale Oval and he played on and they carried him off at full-time.

“I remember mum saying after that game, they had to stop every few kilometres for him to vomit on the side of the road.”

Former Rabbitohs skipper Sattler, who played 197 games for Souths between 1963-72, now lives in an independent care facility on the Gold Coast.

“I’ve never seen my father beaten in anything in life, but I watch him and hear him deteriorating every week, every month, dementia just beats him, it just breaks him,” Scott said.

John Sattler is chaired from the field with a broken jaw by Bob McCarthy after Souths defeated Manly in the 1970 grand final at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

“My wife, his daughter-in-law, went in to see him a couple of weeks ago, he didn’t even know who she was.

“His grandkids, he’s got no connection or affiliation to his grandchildren.

“I look at his incapacity to hold a healthy conversation with loved ones, which hurts me. He tries to bluff his way in conversation for fear he doesn’t know.”

Scott Sattler, who hosts SEN’s Sportsday NSW, had his own long career playing 203 matches in 13 years. He recalls being knocked out eight times and hospitalised on three occasions. He underwent his own voluntary testing about three years ago.

“I get emotional about this topic because I’ve seen the deterioration of my dad and I don’t want this to happen to the current players,” he said.

“If the players today want a healthy conversation with their kids and grandkids in their 60s and 70s, accept what is happening because it will be for the good of them all.”

This is why he is a staunch supporter of the game’s drastic stance against any contact with the head.

“We don’t have time,” Sattler said. “A lot of these ex-footy players, their pride takes a battering. I don’t blame the current players, they only know what they know. I was no different as a player. I felt entitled at times.

South Sydney legend John Sattler. Picture: Adam Head

“If this is about not being consulted, we need to look at the bigger picture. There are some discussions that have to be had at head office that unfortunately shouldn’t include the players because we don’t have time to sit around and discuss all these varying opinions around head trauma and how we can mitigate it.”

Sattler said his dad had three or four really bad concussions during his illustrious career, but the 1972 incident stood out more than the others.

“Bob McCarthy remembers it quite clearly,” Sattler said. “In 1972 he was playing Manly at Brookvale and Mick Veivers got him with a good old-fashioned swinging arm which was pay back as they’d been at each other all day.

“Bob looked at dad in the dressing room and thought he was going to have problems later in life. That’s how bad the knock was.

“Mum and dad lived at Brighton. The trip should’ve taken about 45 minutes but it ended up taking a couple of hours. Mum had to stop every few minutes because he had to keep vomiting. His balance was never right for a while after that. He was too tough to go to the hospital.”

Originally published as South Sydney rugby league great John Sattler battling concussion effects