Cliff Satherley
Clifford Allan Martin Satherley was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand in three test matches against Australia in 1935. In the process he became the 232nd player to represent New Zealand. Satherley also played for the North Island representative side along with Auckland. He played his club rugby league for Richmond Rovers and Mount Albert United. He also played representative rugby union for Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty, and Waikato. His rugby union clubs were Manukau Rovers, Ponsonby, Marist Brothers Old Boys, Papamoa, Frankton Railway, and Technical Old Boys. He also played representative matches for the Te Puke and Hamilton sub-union representative sides.
Early life
Clifford Allan Martin Satherley was born on June 4, 1907, in Blenheim. His parents were Ingress Cecilia Manson, and Charles Herbert Satherley. His mother had been married previously to Soren Hansen however she petitioned for divorce in February 1904. They had two children together, Sorine Elvine Hansen and William Claus Hansen. The Star newspaper reported from the proceedings that "when fifteen years of age, in 1897, she married at Wellington, with her parents' consent, her father being present at the marriage. Respondent was alleged to have led a drunken life. Two years after the marriage her husband came home and said he "had had enough of her, and was off". Since then she had seen nothing of him. He was reported to be in Dannevirke, but inquiries failed to find him. She was ill after his desertion, and her baby 14 months old, died. Justice Cooper remarked upon "criminal conduct of parents in consenting to such early marriages"; a girl didn't know her own mind at fifteen, and she was not fit to bear children. Petitioner had not, at the time of her marriage, even reached the maximum school age”.She remarried Charles Herbert Satherley in 1905. They had three children, Clifford, Phyllis Ida, and Leslie Charles John Manson. Leslie was more commonly known as 'Jack', and he also represented New Zealand at rugby league in 1937 and 1938.
Playing career
Rugby union
Boys’ Institute Club (Wellington) and Oriental Club
In the early to mid 1920s Satherley was living in Wellington and a player at the Boys’ Institute Club. The Boys Institute was a boarding school for young boys that was founded in 1883 and became located on Tasman Street in 1914. He was a member of the fourth grade side and played as a five eighth before moving to the wing forward position. He also played lower grade rugby for the Oriental Club before moving to Auckland.Manukau Rovers
When Satherley moved to Auckland he joined the Manukau Rovers club which at that time was based in the Onehunga area. He made his senior debut for them in the Pollard Cup on September 25, 1926, at the age of 19. The Pollard Cup was played for near the end of the season and was often seen as an opportunity to try out junior grade players prior to the following season. He played against Grammar Old Boys in a 9–8 loss which eliminated them from the competition.He began the 1927 season promoted to the senior side ‘full time’. Manukau were based in the senior B grade which was effectively the second division in Auckland rugby senior competition. After their opening game of the season against Newton on April 30 it was said that “Housham, Brimble and Slatherley were the pick”. His name was misspelled and over the years newspapers would often spell his surname incorrectly as ‘Satherly’ as well. In a May 21 match Brimble, and Satherley were again mentioned as being “seen to advantage in the forward rushes”. Manukau would eventually go on to finish runner up to City in the senior B grade. Following the conclusion of the championship competitions the Pollard Cup knockout tournament was commenced. Satherley's only try of the season came in their round 1 win over Grammar Old Boys 19 to 8 at Onehunga. Manukau went on an incredible run with Satherley playing in all matches, by beating Grafton, Patumahoe, Otahuhu, University, Marist, and Technical Old Boys in the final at the Showgrounds. This was the first time in the competition's history that a team from the B grade had won the Pollard Cup. Satherley ended up playing 18 senior matches for Manukau over the course of the season. On November 21 they held their annual prize giving at the Orpheum Hall in Onehunga and Satherley was presented with a medal for the most-improved player in the senior team. That was not the only thing Satherley was singled out for late in the year. On October 12 he was fined 10 shillings by the Police Court for failing to attend drill training along with several other men. Failing to attend had become so common that the judge said “we cannot fine all these people, and it would be better to have the old defaulters’ camp back again”.
The 1928 season saw Satherley play 16 games and score 1 try for Manukau. His side had been promoted to the A Grade based on their previous years strong form and ultimately finished 3rd in the championship. He was mentioned as being one of the best forwards after a July 14 match against Ponsonby he was mentioned as being one of the best forwards on the field and the Auckland Star published a small photograph of him. His form was good enough to earn selection in the Auckland B team to play South Auckland on July 21 however he was a reserve and did not take the field. After the July 28 match with Grammar the Auckland Star reported “every man rose to the occasion, the best of them being that great toiler, C. Satherly, who, being on his holidays, came up from Nelson to play in the game. Then in August he was named as a reserve for the Auckland B team to play Bay of Plenty however he was then named to play in the loose forwards. Auckland B won the match 19 to 14 at Eden Park in front of a crowd of 7000. Two weeks later he was chosen in the reserves for the Auckland B match against Thames at Thames but not take the field. The following week he made the starting line up for the Auckland B match to play South Auckland at Pukekohe. Auckland thrashed their opponents 46-11, though seven of the selected South Auckland side had not shown up so it was a makeshift team. Early in the match “Satherley sent Weir away” on a run
Auckland selection
The 1929 season saw Satherley make the full Auckland team for the first time. He played 14 matches for Manukau and scored a try in a match against Marist on May 4, and a week later he kicked the first goals of his career which were both penalties in a match against Ponsonby. He did not take on regular goal kicking duties until a few years later. Against Marist it was said “Satherley was easily the pick of the forwards till he retired in the second quarter with a dislocated finger. His try was a beauty”. He had “bustled Walsh and scored beneath the posts”. Around this time his younger brother Jack was also being named in the senior side.Satherley was then selected to play for the Auckland B team in several matches against Thames Valley on August 3, Thames on August 10, and South Auckland on August 17.
There was controversy surrounding his selection for the Thames Valley match. Satherley by this time was captaining Manukau to start the season, Albert Falwasser had taken up a contract to play rugby league in England for Wigan. Satherley was not originally selected for Auckland B and Roy Schnauer was an emergency player. It was reported that Satherley had signed with the Marist old Boys rugby league club according to Schnauer who had “happened to meet Satherley, who was looking for the rugby union office”. Schnauer was extremely angry at not being chosen after Linton pulled out of the side and said “I am disgusted with the way I have been treated by the Auckland Rugby Union”.
Satherley then made his first Auckland A side when he was chosen to pay in their August 24 match with North Auckland. The match was played at Dargaville on August 24 and saw Auckland triumph 15 points to 9. Satherley scored a long range try after Auckland took the ball past the half way line which “enabled Satherley to put up a remarkable performance. For a forward to run half the field with defending backs in vain pursuit, is something unusual in representative football, but such was the feat of the Manukau player, who, downed within two feet of the line, had sufficient reach to place the ball across the chalk”. Satherley then played in the B team against Thames on the Thames High School field on August 31 and was said to be “prominent” in their 19–17 win.
He was then selected to travel south with the Auckland side to play against King Country at the Domain in Taumarunui on Wednesday 4 September. Auckland won 17 to 6 with Satherley playing in the loose forwards. They then travelled to New Plymouth to play Taranaki at Pukekura Park. Taranaki won 14 to 11 before a crowd of 5000. With the home side leading 11-3 Satherley “sent his backs away in a movement which ended in Charlie Cammick scoring a neat try for Auckland”. His final match of the season came for Auckland B against South Auckland. Auckland won 11 to 9 at Pukekohe. At Manukau's annual prize giving on November 23 at the Orpheum Hall in Onehunga, Satherley was presented with his representative cap. Then on January 16 he was presented with his Auckland blazer at an event held by the Auckland Rugby Union.
In 1930 Satherley was captaining the Manukau side despite being only 23 years of age. He had moved to Putāruru but remarkably intended to make the trip to Auckland every weekend to play. He ultimately played 15 matches during the season which was once again punctuated by several representative games. He played 12 matches for Manukau before being selected for Auckland B to play South Auckland on July 12. He had been in very good form for Manukau and against the strong Ponsonby side on May 24 the Auckland Star reported “C. Satherley was a splendid example to his team, and it was his try in the first spell that gave them heart”. Against South Auckland at Pukekohe before a crowd of 700, Auckland B lost 12 points to 6. Satherley scored one of Auckland's two tries after Hira mis-fielded a kick and Satherley gained possession and crossed the line. It was said that he and Donald were “the only two forwards who worked really hard”. A week later Satherley again played for Auckland B, this time against King Country. The match was played at Eden Park and was a curtain-raiser to the match between Auckland and the touring British side. Satherley's B team thrashed King Country by 46 points to 13. He was involved in Auckland's first try after he made a break with Potter and they scored soon afterwards.
Satherley then made the Auckland A side for the first time in the season will he was pulled into the team as there were 5 Auckland players away with the New Zealand test team. The match was played at Eden Park which was described as a “quagmire” with a controversial 6-6 draw resulting. The journalists at the time said that the referee awarded a goal from a mark to Taranaki when the ball had clearly gone under the bar. Satherley was said to have “toiled hard” along with Arthur Knight, Angus Finlayson, and Swin Hadley, and they were “a lot in the limelight”. He was then chosen for the Auckland team to tour the North Island to play matches against Wanganui, Manawhenua, Wellington, Bush Districts, and Hawke's Bay. Auckland beat Wanganui 14 points to 8 with Satherley, Hadley, Knight, and Finlayson once again singled out as being the “pick of the pack”. Nevertheless the less Satherley found himself on the reserve bench for the match on August 20 against Manawhenua at Palmerston North. He also missed selection in their match with Wellington at Athletic Park on the 23rd. Wellington won 16 points to 15.
Satherley was chosen in the team to play Bush District and scored a try in a 27–7 win at Pahiatua on 27 August. Following the match the players went to a boxing tournament held by the Pahiatua Boxing Club at the Foresters’ Hall. Satherley in fact stepped in the ring and fought his team mate Watty Jones. They weighed 12.7st and 13st respectively with the Manawatu Standard stating “neither had any knowledge of the fistic art other than an instinctive desire to punch, and fists were flying in the air and descending from all directions. Satherley got home with the greater proportion, Jones's windmill swings, which would have felled an ox, luckily sailing over his opponents head. They set to like a couple of champions in the last round, Jones emerging from a hectic session with a bleeding nose and a grin and Satherley with the verdict and a bigger grin”. Following this fight other team mates Jock Barnes and Arnold Berridge also fought with Barnes winning by knockout and then Arthur Knight and Angus Finlayson fought a wrestling match. The final game of the tour was against Hawke's Bay at McLean Park in Napier. Auckland won by 8 points to 6 in front of 5,000 spectators. Several players left the field injured including Satherley who went off late in the match. After the Auckland side returned to Auckland Satherley was chosen in the reserves for their match against Wairarapa. His final match of the season came in a championship match against University on September 13.