Having gotten plenty of value from Englishmen Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead, the Raiders have decided to go back to the UK well one more time.
Super League club Wigan have today announced that the Raiders have signed second-rower John Bateman to a two-year deal with a third-year option, which will see him head to Canberra until at least the end of 2020.
He’s also signed a deal to return to Wigan at the conclusion of that contract; effectively sorting out his future for the next six years.
The Raiders are facing a decent amount of player turnover next year, and were always going to add a few players. In the past, their English investments have provided excellent performance at reasonable prices. Hopefully that trend continues with Bateman.
Bateman has played 152 games for Wigan and Bradford, and 12 Tests for England.