North Queensland Cowboys are the latest club to emerge as a potential destination for England international John Bateman. Bateman appeared to be on the verge of joining South Sydney Rabbitohs in the off-season, with Wayne Bennett thought to be keen on being reunited with the back-rower.
However, according to reports Down Under, Bateman has decided not to continue talking with Souths. That’s a decision he communicated to the club this week with the Cowboys emerging as a potential landing spot for the 31-year-old.
The Cowboys are the third club to be linked to Bateman since the end of the 2024 NRL campaign with Manly Sea Eagles said to be have been keen before deciding against adding him to their ranks. The Daily Telegraph claim that the forward has held initial talks with the Townsville club, but a deal is yet to be completed.
Should he make the move north, Bateman would bring an end to what has been a turbulent period for him at Wests Tigers. The second-rower has been with the club since the start of the 2023 season and still has two more years left to run on his deal with the Sydney club.
However, he was released for the remainder of the season in July and allowed to make the temporary switch to Super League side Warrington Wolves. That came after reports of a falling out between Bateman and Tigers head coach Benji Marshall, with the club struggling at the foot of the NRL ladder.
Marshall has since dismissed those reports, but it remains to be seems if the former Wigan Warriors man will play for Wests again. He is expected to make a return to training in the coming weeks following his involvement in England’s autumn Test series.
A move might just come before he makes the return to pre-season training, though, with the Cowboys now in the frame.
Johnny
December 12, 2024 at 1:44 pm
I think he is lucky to be wanted down under hull fc have better young frwds coming through the ranks
might be wrong but I think he’s a nuisance