Wests Tigers have made an inquiry with Wigan about bringing 2019 Dally M Backrower of the Year John Bateman back to the NRL in 2023.
In a move unrelated to Isaiah Papali’i having doubts about a move from Parramatta to Concord next year, Tigers director of football Tim Sheens has confirmed the club have made an approach.
The catch will be that Bateman is under contract with Wigan until at least the end of 2024 and for now the Warriors have blocked the Tigers’ move.
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Bateman was one of the NRL’s standouts the year the Canberra Raiders made the 2019 grand final before his tenure in the national capital was soured by a contract stalemate with the Green Machine.
Bateman returned home to the UK at the end of the 2020 NRL season after signing a four-year deal with Wigan until the end of 2024.
The Raiders were forced to pay a $250,000 transfer fee to Wigan to bring Bateman to the NRL the first time around, but the only bonus with transfer fees to English clubs is that they are not included in the salary cap NRL clubs.
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The Tigers have made a play for former Raiders star John Bateman.Source: Getty Images
Bateman’s approach is the creative thinking of Sheens who tries to look outside the square and devise recruitment ploys aimed at overhauling the Wests Tigers list.
The Tigers have made some recruiting moves this week re-signing Brent Naden, Asu Kepoa and Starford To’a, but the real recruiting space they need to occupy is the resignation of Adam Doueihi.
Doueihi is easily the Tigers’ best player, a local youth and the kind of leader Wests Tigers need to build the club.
With Sheens and Benji Marshall now in control of the steering wheel, at least it won’t be left to the divergent management types to make another wrong mistake.
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‘He gets angry at some strange things’ | 01:13
The problem with Doueihi is that he will be a free agent from November 1 and you can guarantee that rival clubs will be queuing up to try and convince the five-eighth to switch allegiances.
The Tigers need to sharpen their pencils and try to secure a long-term deal now before stronger clubs can table a deal.
The Melbourne Storm have already had a crack at landing Doueihi on loan for the rest of this year and with Cameron Munster’s future uncertain, the Tigers five-eighth would make an ideal replacement.