 He was the first indigenous player captain New South Wales - 6 years before Arthur Beetson.Ron Saddler's former Sydney Roosters teammate Kevin Junee, another 1967-1968 Kangaroo, said "Saddler got the nod as the Blues captain in 1967 because he was respected by teammates and opponents alike".Upon his retirement from Sydney, he captain-coached Murwillumbah Brothers for a number of years in the 1970s.