John Bateman has signed a four-year deal with the Wests Tigers, sealing the Englishman's NRL return - but not all are happy about the back-rower's decision.
Bateman put pen to paper on a three-year contract with Canberra midway through 2018, securing the superstar edge forward through to the end of 2021, or so they thought.
Fans of the green machine fell in love with back-rower as soon as he took the field at GIO Stadium, snaring a Dally M Second-Rower of the Year award in the same season he helped Canberra to their first Grand Final appearance in decades.
However, his decision to return to the Wigan Warriors and cut his NRL deal a year short enraged the Raiders faithful, but is the move really as criminal as Canberra fans make it out to be?
The choice to cut his deal with Canberra short was made in late June 2020 - a month after the season booted itself back up after the initial COVID hiatus that spanned nearly three months.
Bateman's daughter, Millie, was born in late 2009 when the English international was just 16 years old. While she remained in England during his NRL stint, Bateman was able to fly his daughter out in 2019 to visit him, and watch him play.
The following season was a different story though, the sudden introduction of COVID to our vocabularies and our everyday lives bringing the world to a screeching halt, imposing lockdowns, social distancing, mandatory masks and most importantly to Bateman - a stop to international travel.
Remaining in the NRL suddenly wasn't an option for Bateman if he wanted to see his daughter in person, instead requesting an early release from his contract with the Raiders to return to his former Super League club, Wigan.
He's since had a second child, with his Australian partner whom he met during his Canberra stint, the Wests Tigers deal allowing her to return home to raise the child around her family.
Maybe Canberra fans are mad he decided to return to the NRL with a different club, however, where would he fit into the Raiders' side today?
The club already has the likes of Elliott Whitehead, Hudson Young and Corey Harawira-Naera to play on the edges, while Joseph Tapine is at home at lock as he is in the front-row.
Sure, it's always hard to watch a star that flourished at your club succeed elsewhere, but you can't blame him for wanting to be with his daughter amidst the dawn of COVID.
So instead of booing the 29-year-old when he makes an eventual away trip to GIO Stadium, cheer for the good he delivered to the club, and enjoy getting to watch one of the world's best edge forwards ply his trade in the NRL each and every week.
It was the manner in which John Bateman left that didn’t sit well with Raiders supporters. Agitating for more money in the week before the grand final i.e. it was all about him and not the club. The talk about moving to a Sydney club if they were prepared to pay more than Canberra. Bagging out Ricky and the club after he left – particularly when George Williams was sooking about being homesick. To be honest I don’t really think we want him back. He seems incredibly selfish. How many times has he left clubs before the end of his contract? Must be about 4 in a row now. But it won’t stop us from paying him out if we feel like it when he returns to Bruce Stadium. I pay good money for the right to boo former players when they come back to Canberra.
For John Bateman it all seems to be about him. He’s not the onl one, but that doesn’t excuse his attitude.
Clubs are partly to blame for this. They would be in their rights to include a clause in every contract that says words to the effect of:
“if the player walks away from the contract, to change codes or play abroad, his contract with our club is only suspended not terminated. If and when he returns to the NRL, the club has the option – for the remaining period of the contract – to:
– either re-engage him at his old salary
– or to take 25% (say) of his earnings at his new club ”
I’m with geofffrombrucestadium in this. Bateman is an unlikable character, and the Raiders fans are within their rights to give him heaps.