John Bateman (born 30 September 1993) is an English professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who plays for the

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...

in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

, and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

at international level. He previously played for the

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predom ...

and

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

in the

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

and for the

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

in the

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

. Earlier in his career he played as a .

Background

Bateman was born in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England. He is a product of the

Bradford Dudley Hill Bradford Dudley Hill Rugby League Club is an English rugby league team based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Originally formed after the First World War, the club was re-established in 1948, and since 2006 has played in the National Conference ...

amateur Rugby League club.

Playing career

Bradford

2011 season

In April 2011, at the age of 17 years and 208 days old Batemate made his

début starting at for the Bradford Bulls in an 8–8 draw against

Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons ( French: ''Dragons Catalans'', Catalan: ''Dracs Catalans'') are a professional rugby league club from Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales department, France. The team competes in the Super League and are the only team from ...

. In May 2011, he made his first

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

appearance for the club against Halifax. He made two more first team appearances towards the end of the season, and scored his first Super League try against

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...

2012 season

Bateman featured in Round 1 (

). He missed Rounds 2–3 due to injury. He featured in six consecutive games from Round 4 (

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...

) to Round 9 (

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

). Bateman was suspended for Round 10 and 11. John returned in Round 12 (

Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sh ...

). Bateman was suspended for Rounds 13–14. He returned to play in six consecutive games from Round 15 (

Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headi ...

) to Round 20 (

London Broncos The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England. The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...

). Bateman missed Rounds 21–24 due to England Academy commitments. Bateman returned for Round 25 (

). John was injured for Rounds 26–27. He featured in the

against

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

and

Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warrington Z ...

. Bateman scored against

(1 try),

(1 try) and

Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England, that compete in the Super League, the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern Hemisphere. The club have competed i ...

(1 try). In 2012 Bateman was awarded the Albert Goldthorpe Rookie of the Year Medal.

2013 season

In the off-season Bateman signed a 3 Year Extension on his current deal and this will keep him at Odsal until 2015. He missed Rounds 1–6 due to an injury. He featured in four consecutive games from Round 7 (

Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers are a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England, that competes in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby league. The club has won five league championships, and one Challeng ...

) to Round 10 (

Salford City Reds The Salford Red Devils are a professional rugby league club in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, who play in the Super League. Formed in 1873, they have won six Championships and one Challenge Cup. Their home ground since 2012 has been t ...

). John missed Round 11–12 due to an injury. He featured in Round 13 (

) but was subject to a groin injury keeping him out of Round 14. John returned for Round 15 (

) but missed Round 16 but returned in Round 17 (

) to Round 22 (

). John missed the rest of the season due to surgery on his ankle. Bateman featured in the

against

Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the Championship, the second tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs ...

and

. John scored against

(1 try),

(1 try)

(1 try),

(1 try) and

(1 try).

Wigan

In November 2013, Bateman signed a three-year contract with

for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £70,000.

2014

Bateman featured in the

World Club Challenge The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league competition between the winners of the Australasian National Rugby League (NRL) and the European Super League, for the de facto club world championship of the sport. The first such match was pl ...

against

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...

. He featured in Round 2 (

) to Round 15 (

) then in Round 18 ( St. Helens) to Round 23 (

). John next played in Round 25 (

Widnes Vikings The Widnes Vikings are an English rugby league club in Widnes, Cheshire, which competes in the Betfred Championship. The club plays home matches at the Halton Stadium. Founded as Widnes Football Club, they are one of the original twenty-two rug ...

) to Round 27 (

). Bateman played in Round 5 (

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

) to the Quarter Final (

) in the

. John played in the Qualifying Playoff (

). He scored against

(1 try), the

(1 try),

(1 try) and

(1 try).

2015

Bateman played in the

World Club Series The World Club Series was an annual rugby league football competition played between clubs from the NRL (Australia and New Zealand) and the Super League (England and France). The competition culminated with the World Club Challenge, a single ma ...

against

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...

Bateman featured in Round 1 (

) to Round 9 (

) then in Round 11 (

) to Round 19 (

). He also played in Round 21 (

) to Super Eight 6 ( St. Helens) then in the Semi Final (

) to the Grand Final (

). Bateman played in the

in Round 6 (

). He scored against

(4 tries),

(2 tries),

(1 try) and

(2 tries). He played in the 2015 Super League Grand Final defeat by the

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

2016

Bateman featured in Round 1 (

) to Round 8 (

) then in Round 11 (

) to Round 12 (

). He featured in the World Club Series against

. He scored against

(1 try),

(2 tries) and

(1 try). On 31 May 2016, Wigan confirmed they were investigating an "alleged fracas" between two Wigan players which took place outside of a gym on 27 May, and speculation grew that Bateman was linked to the controversy following his omission from the squad against

and

. On 15 June 2016, Bateman was fined £10,000 and suspended for eight weeks for his involvement in the incident. He played in the

2016 Super League Grand Final The 2016 Super League Grand Final was the 19th official Grand Final and conclusive and championship-deciding match of the Super League XXI season. It was held on Saturday 8 October 2016, at Old Trafford, Manchester, with a 6pm kick-off time. Brit ...

victory over the

2017

He played in the

2017 Challenge Cup Final The 2017 Challenge Cup Final was the 116th cup-deciding game of the rugby league 2017 Challenge Cup Season. It was held at Wembley Stadium in London on 26 August 2017, kick off 15:00. The final was contested by Hull F.C. and Wigan Warriors. The ...

defeat by

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

2018

He played in the

2018 Super League Grand Final The 2018 Super League Grand Final was the 21st official Grand Final and championship-deciding game of Super League XXIII. It was held at Old Trafford in Manchester on 13 October 2018, kick off 18.00. The final was contested by Warrington Wolves a ...

victory over the

Canberra

2019

Bateman signed with the

for 2019 and 2020, with a third year option in his favour, on 8 August 2018. In round 19 of the

2019 NRL season The 2019 NRL season was the 112th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 22nd season run by the National Rugby League. The Sydney Roosters became the first team to win back-to-back Premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 ...

against the

Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...

, Bateman scored a try in the dying minutes to seal a 30-18 victory for the visitors away from home. The win cemented the Canberra's position in the top 4 of the competition. At the end of the 2019 regular season, Canberra finished 4th on the table and qualified for the finals. In the qualifying final against Melbourne, Bateman scored the winning try with just 3 minutes remaining as Canberra staged an upset victory at

AAMI Park The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the Melbourne central business district. When completed ...

winning 12-10 and secured a home preliminary final. In the preliminary final against South Sydney, Bateman played at second-row as Canberra won the match 16-10 at

Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports v ...

and qualified for their first grand final in 25 years. On 2 October, Bateman was named as the 2019 Dally M second-rower of the year at the

Dally M Awards The Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. As well as honouring the player of the year, who received the Dally M Medal, awards are also given to the premier player in each position, the b ...

ceremony. Bateman played at for Canberra in the

2019 NRL Grand Final The 2019 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2019 National Rugby League season and was played at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The match was contested between defending premiers the Sydney Roosters and the Canberra Ra ...

as they were defeated 14-8 by the

ANZ Stadium ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand ...

2020

In February, it was revealed that Bateman would miss the first six weeks of the

2020 NRL season The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year. ; Notes : : : Pre-season ...

after undergoing shoulder surgery. On 31 June, it was announced that he would be departing the

at the end of the season, With

Club, the

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilita ...

And His former side, The

interested in his services. Bateman played a total of 11 games for Canberra in the

. He featured in all three of Canberra's finals matches including the preliminary final loss to Melbourne. After the game had concluded, a visibly emotional Bateman thanked everyone at Canberra and stated it would be hard to leave the club.

2021

In August 2021, it was revealed that Bateman had been involved in a fist fight with then Canberra player

Curtis Scott Curtis Scott (born 12 October 1997) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played in 2021, as a for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He previously played for the Melbourne Storm and Canberra Raiders in the Nati ...

. The incident was not reported to the police and the matter was sorted behind closed doors but the story came to light after Scott's termination by the Canberra club.

Re-Joining Wigan

In July 2020, it was announced that Bateman would re-join

for the 2021 season.

2021

In round 20 of the

2021 Super League season Super League XXVI, known as the Betfred Super League XXVI for sponsorship reasons, was the 26th season of the Super League and 127th season of rugby league in Great Britain. The 2021 season was originally scheduled to begin on 11 March 2021, ho ...

, Bateman was sent to the sin bin twice in Wigan's 26-2 loss against St Helens.

2022

In the 2022 semi-final, Bateman was sent off for a dangerous high tackle on former teammate

Aiden Sezer Aidan Yüçel Sezer (born 24 June 1991) is a Turkish-Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the Leeds Rhinos in the Betfred Super League. He previously played for the Gold Coast Titans, Canberra Raiders in the ...

during the clubs shock defeat to

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

Wests Tigers

On 26 December, Bateman will leave

to sign on a four-year deal with the

club

for 2023. In round 3 of the 2023 NRL season, Bateman made his long awaited club debut for the Wests Tigers in their 26-22 loss against

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Belmore Sports Ground Belmore Sports Ground, formerly known as Belmore Oval, is a multi-purpose stadium in Belmore, New South Wales, Australia. The park covers and from 1951 has contained the Belmore Bowling Recreation Club green. It is close to Belmore railway sta ...

Statistics

International career

In 2012, Bateman was named captain of the England Academy squad to tour Australia. Bateman made his

test début against France in October 2015. After an outstanding Super League 2015 season, Bateman was selected in the senior England team for their test series against New Zealand. Bateman made his début for England in
test match
, before the series, against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

which saw Bateman score two tries in England's rout of their opponents. For his outstanding efforts in the game, Bateman was awarded man-of-the-match. In October 2016, Bateman was selected in the England 24-man squad for the 2016 Four Nations. In October 2017 he was selected in the England squad for the

2017 Rugby League World Cup The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...

. He was selected in squad for the 2019 Great Britain Lions tour of the Southern Hemisphere. He made his

test debut in the defeat by Tonga.

References

External links

Canberra Raiders profileWigan Warriors profileStatistics at rugby-league.comStatistics at rlwc2017.comEngland profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bateman, John 1993 births Living people Bradford Bulls players Canberra Raiders players England national rugby league team captains England national rugby league team players English rugby league players Great Britain national rugby league team players Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Bradford Rugby league second-rows Wigan Warriors captains Wigan Warriors players Wests Tigers players