England star John Bateman refused to discuss speculation linking him with an NRL return insisting - for now - he’s only bothered about the World Cup.
Reports Down Under claim the abrasive forward will join Wests Tigers after the tournament with the Sydney club willing to pay Wigan around £140,000. Gritty Yorkshireman Bateman, 29, was a big hit with Canberra Raiders when he earned the 2019 Dally M second-row of the year while helping them reach the NRL Grand Final. He returned to Wigan at the end of the following season due to family reasons but is now thought to be contemplating another move.
Bateman has another two years left on his Wigan deal meaning Wests would have to fork out a transfer fee. But asked about the reports ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final with Papua New Guinea, he said: “I think I’m pretty sure I’m here to talk about England. I’ll talk to you about that (NRL speculation) after the World Cup. I want to focus on the World Cup, to be fair.”
