Badge of honour: Souths to wear Sattler’s 1970 strip with torn logo
South Sydney will wear a special one-off jersey that embraces the “half rabbit” emblem made famous by the late John Sattler in the 1970 grand final.
As tributes continued to flow for Sattler following his death on Monday, Souths worked behind the scenes to decide how best to celebrate the legendary captain’s life in time for Saturday’s clash against Manly at Accor Stadium.
The Herald can reveal club officials were given the green light by the NRL and kit manufacturer Classic on Tuesday to wear a playing strip replicating the one worn with pride by Sattler the day he played on with a broken jaw in the middle of the Sydney Cricket Ground.
In that game, Sattler’s jersey featured a ripped Rabbitoh emblem, which some believed had taken place at some stage during the 80 minutes against the Sea Eagles. But a team photo from earlier that year also showed Sattler’s jersey with the half rabbit on his chest.
Sattler’s family and Souths spoke several times on Tuesday about what else they could do to send the international forward out in style. The family will be at the ground.
Souths have worn a jersey with the “half rabbit” once before, in Heritage Round during the 2008 centenary season.
A mock-up of the jersey Souths will wear on Saturday, featuring the torn Rabbitoh logo.
With so many forwards missing because of injury, Souths will be looking to channel Sattler’s toughness against the Sea Eagles.
Souths chief executive Blake Solly told the Herald on Tuesday night: “In many ways there is no greater tribute to John than for our players to wear the jersey he wore with such pride and courage in that grand final against Manly.
“It’s one of a number of things we’re doing to honour John’s legacy and celebrate his amazing life.”
Several media outlets were pursuing an interview with John Bucknall, the man who broke Sattler’s jaw in the grand final, only to be told he was in poor health.
Bob McCarthy, Sattler’s friend and South Sydney teammate, said it was a “sensational” gesture by the club, but could never remember when his rabbit emblem was torn in half.
“His presence at Souths made so many people happy, he was so gentle and kind to every supporter who came up to him, and even after a loss,” McCarthy said.
“People who came up to him couldn’t believe it was the same person out on the field – he’d rip other players’ heads off, then sit there with old grandmothers talking about cats and dogs while the rest of us would be on the drink.”
John Sattler in his volleys, along with Souths teammates Eric Simms and Bob McCarthy, jog the back streets of Redfern.
McCarthy recalled the famous photo of he, Sattler and a bare-footed Eric Simms running through the back streets of Redfern. Redfern Oval would always close when there was too much rain, and coach Clive Churchill made the players jog to nearby Moore Park to train.
“There were no running shoes then, so you either went bare-footed or wore footy boots,” McCarthy said.
“We’d run down the streets and everyone would come out of their houses thinking there was a herd of elephants coming down the street. Then they’d realise it was only the Souths blokes.
“Eric never wore shoes. George Piggins never trained in shoes, nor did Kevin Longbottom, even in the middle of winter. For some reason ‘Satts’ had volleys. The only time you wore volleys was when you played tennis. He was a great trainer.”
Sattler was a lock forward, but when he was suspended early one season, McCarthy replaced him in the middle, and Sattler shifted to second row. When Ron Coote arrived, Sattler finished in the front row.
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