John Bateman shares his worst thing about pre-season

Pre-season is well known for being hellish for rugby league players.

Combined with no match days, there is gruelling training designed to prepare them for the season ahead.

That could include painful hill runs, training in the pitch dark and cold as well as intense activities like the sand dune runs done by the Wigan Warriors or St Helens’ three-day training camp in North Wales.

For one Wigan player, however, when asked what his worst moment of pre-season is, was something that nobody wants.

The Rugby Football League sent out a tweet asking: “What’s the worst thing about pre-season?”

John Bateman replied: “Getting ringworm from wrestling.”

Getting ringworm from wrestling. https://t.co/MM4Xtw5E3N

— John Bateman (@johnbateman1) January 7, 2022

Ringworm can cause a circular rash and is itchy and red – clearly something that nobody wants as Bateman rightly points out.

For Wigan, the intensity has been high in pre-season as new head coach Matt Peet attempts to inspire the Cherry and Whites to a better finish than what the Warriors pulled out of the bag in 2021.

Wigan finished fourth, but exited the play-offs at the first time of asking to the Leeds Rhinos in an 8-0 defeat that summed up their season.

But, bringing Shaun Wane back to the club in a leadership role as well as new signings such as Cade Cust, optimism is high.