Former Greats - Ron Saddler
Ron Saddler
| Plyr No. |
Debut Year |
Final Year |
Birth Date | Death Date | Games | Tries | Points |
| 529 | 1963 | 1971 | 14/03/1942 | 12/05/2016 | 48 | 21 | 379 |
| Debut Club Game | 07/04/1963 | Round 1, 1963 v North Sydney Sydney Sports Ground, Moore Park (Age 21) |
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| Final Club Game | 05/06/1971 | Round 11, 1971 v South Sydney Sydney Cricket Ground, Moore Park (Age 29) |
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| Seasons | 8 | 1963 - 1964, 1966 - 1971 * | |||||
| * Sat out the 1965 season due to a pre-season knee injury | |||||||
| Debut Club | One Club Player? | Final Club | |||||
| Sydney Roosters | Yes | Sydney Roosters | |||||
Ron Saddler joined the Roosters from Murwillumbah in 1963 and soon after became a Roosters favourite. In an era in which the Roosters regularly struggled, Easts had two players (Kevin Junee and Saddler) that continually stood out from the rest. Saddler was an outstanding defender and hard running centre. Reg Gasnier described him as his hardest centre he played against. He captained the NSW Colts team against France in 1964, a year in which he won his first Roosters Player of the Year Award.
A pre-season knee injury meant that Saddler had to sit out the entire 1965 season but he returned in 1966 and in Round 6 that year he became the first indigenous player to captain the Roosters. 1967 was a huge year for Saddler. He played the first of six interstate matches for New South Wales and was named NSW captain for Game 2, despite the presence of Graeme Langlands, Bob Fulton and Ron Coote. He toured with the 1967/68 Kangaroos but injury and illness restricted him to just 12 tour games. Saddler won a second Roosters Player of the Year Award in 1969 and returned to Murwillumbah after the 1971 season. A club legend.
| Representative Honours | ||
| Australia | 0 Tests (Player No. 423) | 1967/68 |
| New South Wales | 6 Interstate Games (Player No. 603) | 1967 - 1968 |
| Club Honours |
| Sydney Roosters Life Member (2025) |
| Roosters Captain (9 games) |
| Roosters Player Of The Year (1964, 1969) |
| Game Honours |
| N.S.W. Captain |
| First Indigenous N.S.W. Captain |
Sydney Roosters respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.
