The Canberra Raiders have confirmed the signing of England International player John Bateman for three seasons, commencing at the beginning of 2019.
Bateman, 24, joins the Raiders with over 150 Super League appearances for Wigan and Bradford, with a further 12 test matches for England, including this years Denver test where he played alongside Raiders forward Elliott Whitehead.
Known for his versatility, Bateman can play a number of positions including second-row and centre, giving the Raiders a valuable addition to their squad.
Raiders recruitment and High-Performance Director Peter Mulholland said the signing of another English International is exciting and the Raiders were looking forward to seeing Bateman make the transition from the Super League to the NRL.
"John is a wonderful talent who has the ability and skill set to play a number of positions," Mulholland said. "We've already seen the success of both Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson transitioning from the Super League to the NRL and we see John as being a player who can make a similar impact in this competition."
"At 24, he's got the perfect mix of experience and youth and we're really looking forward to seeing him in green in 2019."
The Raiders have been in negotiations with Bateman for several months, but have held back on announcing his deal so his current club Wigan had the opportunity to let their supporters know of his departure.
