Former rugby league great Peter Sterling says Canberra’s John Bateman is the NRL’s buy of the year.
The 58-year-old Parramatta legend wrote of his surprise at Bateman’s impact down under in his Sydney Morning Herald column.
And the Channel Nine commentator went one further by hailing the Canberra star as the NRL’s best signing of 2019.
Sterling, who had a brief spell at Hull FC in his playing days, wrote: “At the half-way mark of the season and considering positions held on the premiership ladder, it is hard to go past Canberra’s John Bateman as the current buy of the year.
“Despite being a Test player, I must admit I didn’t know a great deal about the former Bradford and
Wigan back-rower when the Raiders announced him as another Super League import.
“It didn’t take long to see that the stocky 25-year-old had plenty to offer and was clearly another astute overseas signing secured by coach Ricky Stuart on the back of compatriots Josh Hodgson and Elliot Whitehead.
“Bateman’s rugged approach on Canberra’s right edge has added steel to a side that previously struggled to find exactly that when under pressure.”
In the column Sterling goes on to name his favourite British players to ply their trade in Australia. You can read the rest of the article here.
