What a player Bateman has been for us. Great signing! Can’t complain he wants the move.

Would welcome him back. Could see him in a leadership role on return.

The club will always have a short term, medium term and long term recruitment strategy and it’s clear that JB fits into the medium to long term plans. The club will know the contract status, age, ability of every member of the squad and if they see fit to fight for this deal, I for one trust them enough to be happy with it.
We’re not talking about a bog standard forward here, Batty has been brilliant for us and his effort and attitude is something that young players can aspire to and he’s a player we could build our pack around for years when he returns.

There's no way Wigan could force Bateman to return in two years if he wants to stay in Australia, unless he would have to personally pay out his contract. Even if you put that sort of clause in place, why would you want to force a player back who didn't want to return?

What they could do - and hopefully have - is make sure that if he wants to return to SL Wigan have first crack, possibly at an agreed wage. The Iestyn Harris case showed that if players receive consideration from a club in return for promises about the future, that is enforceable - in Harris' case (and presumably Bateman's) the consideration is an early release from their existing contract.

At the end of the day you got him for virtually nothing when bradford had a 15 minutes of fame chairman in charge who knew nothing except bradford were penniless ....You ve done ok with that deal for sure.

I don’t think we’ll have an issue with him wanting to come back tbh. It may stretch to the three years but I’m pretty sure he’ll have spoke about the length of his stay over there with his daughter and the rest of his family.

I have no grumbles with the way the deal is set up. If the club hadn’t got him signed up for his return there would’ve been even more grumbles about the situation. It’s a risky move in a way but do I think we’ll be getting a ‘marquee player’ back in the shape of a 27 year old NRL experienced John Bateman? Yes I think we will. I can see him coming back in the 13 shirt and with the captains armband.

You can envisage a time when Wigan wouldn't need/want a 27-year-old John Bateman?

That's more optimism than you've ever shown previously.

I honestly can see John coming back sooner.

If he's going over there without his daughter, when the real-life kicks in and he sees her upset on Skype etc, no rugby in the world could keep him from feeling terrible. This alone might make him twice twice about spending so long in-between regular contact with her.

The RL Mole has come out and said, Canbera have paid 250,000 dollars for Bateman, just sort of £150,000.

Great bit of business by wigan for someone with only a year left on his deal.

Well done IL.

Since when have we got excited about losing our best players in exchange for a decent fee? Not since before the salary cap id imagine. As a fan, id rather have Bateman for another year than the money.

I’m not so sure. My understanding is that the predetermined transfer fee written into Bateman’s contract was £300,000 so Canberra have only paid half of it. That sets a precedent for when other players have NRL Clauses and the clubs come knocking.

I only hope IL accepted it because he got him to sign for us when he comes back.

Thought the same thing when i read it.

Amen to that haha

Bateman hasn't signed a deal to return to Wigan.

According to Ian Leneghan & Kris Radlinski he has

According to John Bateman, he hasn't signed anything!

This is what it says in the press release:

“Bateman has signed a three-year contract with Wigan Warriors for when he returns from Australia”


It does state when he returns to SL so it is not necessarily after the 2 years (+1 year option) is up. I guess he could stay in the NRL, go to Union or any other comp if he wants to.

I'll say it again: I look at the Canberra Raiders (just watched their last game,in fact), and, unless they losing a fair few next year, I just don't see who Bateman (and Sutton for that matter) are going to replace?

Would you not take Bateman over Whitehead? I know I would.

Well they are, Shannon Boyd to Titans and Junior Paulo is returning to Eels.

I don't know that I would. Whitehead is proven in the NRL. Even at best, I doubt few would claim that Bateman was substantially better.

Both are props?

Sololia will go into front row and maybe Josh Papalii.

John Bateman is twice the player Whitehead is. I cant wait for him to prove it next year. We must have the most negative set of fans there is. All our best players are average (Williams/Bateman)? Give me a break

Who are their centres? I think that's where Bateman would be playing in the NRL due to his size

They’ve got Joey Lelua and Jarrod Croker! I can only see Bateman as a forward at Canberra but providing centre cover much like he does for us.

I'm not saying that at all! Bateman is very good player indeed, arguably the best we currently have at the club. I think you underestimate Whitehead, who I rate slightly higher, and we'll have to agree to differ on that.