Sattler tipping old club Penrith to win backtoback titles
Scott Sattler was responsible for one of the most famous moments in NRL grand final history when he produced ‘‘the tackle’’ to save a certain try in 2003. But did you realise the former Panthers forward, the son of Rabbitohs great John Sattler, was also a massive fan of Oamaru? Sports editor Hayden Meikle tracks Sattler down for a chat before the NRL preliminary finals this weekend.
How’s it going, Scott?
Yeah not too bad, mate. Not too bad at all.
Are you in Sydney these days?
No, I’m on the Gold Coast. It’s 27degC and not a cloud in the sky. We live near the Broadwater, where it meets the Pacific Ocean, and it’s just like glass. It’s just blue and beautiful.
Are you heading to the NRL preliminary finals this weekend?
I’m calling the CowboysParramatta. But it’s actually my daughter’s 21st on Saturday night, so I will have a TV on in the background for the PanthersRabbitohs.
You played 188 games for Penrith, and won the grand final in 2003. Here we are again — the Panthers won it all last year and are two games away from going back to back. How have they managed to build this great team?
I think it goes back to well before this team got together, to when Phil Gould got involved with the club again seven or eight years ago. From a financial point of view, the club looked like it was heading for pretty grim times until they got a loan off James Packer. Gus then revitalised the development and pathway programme, which had always been so successful for Penrith. Because of their decline, a lot of clubs had gone out and pilfered their really good juniors. So by setting those up again, they were able to keep all those really good young players, and they’ve just basically brought them through. All of a sudden you get this group of guys like Isaah Yeo hitting first grade, and then another group with Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai and Brian To’o comes through. So they’ve just had these very talented young players come through and stay together for a long time.
Who do you really like in this current Penrith team?
I’m a huge Isaah Yeo fan. Probably sentimental reasons, because I wore the same jersey number. I just like the way he plays, and off the field he is a terrific human being. He comes from a great New South Wales country town called Dubbo. I’m also fast becoming a huge fan of James FisherHarris in the front row. You’ve got Cleary and Luai, who are so exciting in everything they do, but FisherHarris is the one that’s got opposition teams looking out the corner of their eye.
You’ve sort of got a foot in both camps — you played for the Panthers, but your father, John, was a Rabbitohs legend. So who are you picking?
I’m picking Penrith. Just because of their connectivity and how fluid they are in everything they do. Everyone knows their role, and they’re always there for each other. They’ve had a week off and they’re firing on all cylinders. I think Souths are limping in with a few injuries. They will need their key players to find something extra.
And the other game? Eels or Cowboys?
I’m going for the Cowboys. Again, they’ve had the week off. And the conditions will suit them better. The Eels will go up to Townsville and hit that 89% humidity and a packed stadium, and it’s going to be really difficult for them. All those big Cowboys players are brimming with confidence.
So a PanthersCowboys grand final is the tip. Who wins that?
I think the Cowboys are the only team that can really break the shackles of the Panthers defensively. They’re a really wellcoached side. But I think the Panthers just have that special thing about them. You need that Xfactor in grand finals. For us in 2003, it was guys like Preston Campbell and Tony Puletua and Rhys Wesser and Luke Priddis. The Panthers have again got all these special players across the field. They could have two or three have an off night, and others can pick up the slack. So Penrith wins it, and Isaah Yeo is the Clive Churchill medallist.
We better talk about the Warriors. Can New Zealand fans have a grain of hope next year will be their year?
I think the Warriors will come back fine. They’re finally at home, and sleeping in their own beds, and their kids are going to their schools. Their quality of life is just going to be a lot better, and when everything off the field is in a good way, your rugby league follows. So I expect the Warriors to improve. They’ve made some good signings. I think Charnze NicollKlokstad will be good. An untested coach in Andrew Webster, but he has an ability to build a team with attacking flair, and the Warriors play their best when you just let them play that unshackled style of rugby league. I look back to guys like Clinton Toopi and Ali Lauiti’iti and Stacey Jones
Next year is 20 years since your Panthers beat the Roosters in the NRL grand final. Do you guys still catch up?
We actually have a reunion every grand final week. The last
two haven’t happened because of Covid. But we’ll get back together on the Saturday this year. We always pick a different venue, never in Penrith. Out of the 25 players plus staff, we usually get 16 or 17. Some never come. Preston Campbell never comes — he’s hard enough to get hold of at the best of times. And Marty Lang is basically studying fulltime to become a doctor.
And ‘‘the tackle’’ — that amazing moment when you ran down Roosters winger Todd Byrne to save a try. How often do you get asked about it?
You’re the third person today, ha ha.
That’s not bad, 19 years on.
I suppose it always comes up more at this time of year, and Penrith are playing too. So it will rear its head again, and no doubt I will get heckled from the bleachers saying he tripped over. I hear the same old sledges every year, ha ha.
And you’re still heavily involved with league through TV and radio and various things?
Yeah, I am. I’m not attached to any particular club, but I receive phone calls from various clubs about different talent. I love calling the games. I do a bit of secondtier footy, the Queensland Cup, and I call the NRL with SEN. It’s a good way to watch the game. I’m not entrenched in one club with so much at stake.
Your dad, John, was a Souths great — 197 games, four premierships, playing on with a broken jaw in the 1970 grand final. Last year, you guys talked about his battle with dementia. How is he?
He turned 80 this year. He’s a shell of himself, for people who knew him and how animated he was and what a big, strong, fit human being he was. He made everyone feel like the most important person in the room.
He’s a lot more secluded now, and suffering the effects of a pretty heavy rugby league career, and a car accident he had in 1979 that probably should have killed him. But he tries to keep as positive as possible.
The issue of head knocks and brain safety in contact sport has became a massive focus in recent years. Have you thought a lot more about it now?
Yeah, we’re seeing a lot of codes around the world looking at making variations to their sport. And things like HIA. I think we will see bigger benches in rugby league — maybe six.
And maybe no contact training for maybe four weeks leading into the season, and no contact training at all throughout the season. There was a great story on Mario Fenech the other night, which was quite compelling and quite confronting. I think we’re taking the right steps. You’re not going to eradicate all contact, because it’s a gladiatorial sport. But we should be able to minimise the amount of people being affected by dementia or Parkinson’s or whatever else.
Tell me if this is true — tell me you have some link to the great town of Oamaru.
I could move to Oamaru tomorrow.
As could we all. It’s a great spot, isn’t it?
I love it. So I met a New Zealand girl back in 2008, but we didn’t officially get together until 2009. We went back to Oamaru on grand final weekend that year. We had my nowmotherinlaw’s 60th birthday at the place that was out on the harbour, Portside. We’ve now been married 1112 years. We go back to Oamaru as much as we can. We’ll be back there on Christmas Eve.
What’s your wife’s name?
Rebecca Elliott, now Rebecca Sattler. She went to Waitaki Girls’. My inlaws are Don and Shirley Elliott. They used to own a servo in Oamaru. Don’s a mechanic and he had a carpetcleaning business. He’s just retired. We love going home.
And whenever we fly in and out of Dunedin, we get a feed on the way. I love my whitebait patties. New potatoes — the veges are just better in the South Island. And the blue cod.