Glory, Glory

The story of a rugby league legend

A gentleman off the field and a brute on it, John Sattler was one of the most feared players of his era. He was equally renowned for his toughness and courage: famously, he played 77 minutes of the 1970 Grand Final with a shattered jaw, leading the Rabbitohs to victory over Manly. Here for the first time he tells his story in his own words and in his own style: honest, uncompromising and direct.

It's the story of a boy from the bush who led the Pride of the League back to its rightful place at the top of the Sydney premiership. Along the way, Sattler toured with the Kangaroos, played in four winning Grand Finals and survived a near-fatal car crash. While he later built a new life for himself as a proud Queenslander, Sattler will always remain a South Sydney legend and an icon of the game.

‘The story of one of the game's greatest heroes’ —Russell Crowe

‘If you say South Sydney, you automatically think of Johnny Sattler. He was the iconic, archetypal Rabbitoh warrior.’ —Ray Martin

‘This book meticulously documents all the big hits, send-offs, major victories and defeats in the footballer's career, igniting rich memories for those old enough to have witnessed those days.’ —Weekend Australian

John Sattler played 195 first-grade matches for the South Sydney Rabbitohs from 1963 to 1972. He captained the club to four Grand Final victories between 1967 and 1971, before finishing his club career with three seasons in the Brisbane Rugby League.

Peter Badel is chief league writer for the Courier-Mail, and has covered every NRL Grand Final and State of Origin series since 1998. In 2010 Peter was named Sports Journalist of the Year for his coverage of the Greg Inglis racism affair, the biggest scandal in State of Origin history. This is his first book.