“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.”

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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