Wigan Warriors star John Bateman tells all on Canberra Raiders experience

John Bateman was widely heralded as one of the best Super League players to make the move to the NRL when he left the Wigan Warriors back in 2018.

Named Dally M Second-Rower of the Year in the end-of-season awards for Canberra in 2019 was an incredible achievement in just his first year at the club.

But, then Covid struck. In a foreign country, thousands of miles from home, it can take its toll and Bateman announced he would be leaving Canberra at the end of 2019.

It was a decision that didn’t seem to go down too well with Raiders boss Ricky Stuart, but Bateman revealed that there was no bad blood between them.

We got on really well,” Bateman told Rugby League World.

“Towards the end it was perceived in the media that we didn’t but I always got on with him.

“He was a straight up fella and we knew what each other wanted from each other. He was one of those blokes that could teach you and get the best from you in training and for me that’s one of the best things to have in a coach.

“I have a lot of respect for Ricky and he helped me massively out there.”

The current Wigan forward has revealed just how ‘crazy’ the attention was in Australia.

“I loved it and if I’m honest it was probably bigger and better than I ever thought it was.

“It was crazy, it was like the Premier League over here. You see it from the outside over here but to be right in the mix of it was great.

“It was different for me living in Canberra. There, you’re not really local to anything like you are over here, so that was different and something I struggled with.”