John Bateman hit by virus just three days out from NRL grand final

Just as the Raiders have banished their finals demons from 2016, John Bateman has shaken off the virus that troubled him earlier in the week and will be a certain starter for the grand final.

John Bateman missed training due to a virus.

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What’s better than John Bateman being over the virus that threatened to derail his grand final week?

How about his Canberra team-mates having also gone and shaken off a bug of their own — specifically, the ghosts of that failed 2016 premiership campaign.

Speaking with The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, Bateman confirmed he was a certain starter for Sunday’s ANZ Stadium blockbuster against the Roosters after overcoming the virus that saw him sidelined from the team’s major Thursday training session.

“But it was nothing too serious,” the Raiders No. 12 said. “Just a head cold really. Certainly nothing to stop me playing”.

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John Bateman won second rower of the year at the Dally M Awards. Picture: Brett Costello

Yet just as importantly, Bateman also talked up the readiness of his Raiders team-mates, revealing they were far more relaxed than a week ago when preparing for a preliminary final against South Sydney.

Three years ago, Canberra were bundled out of the NRL playoffs in the corresponding game.

Worse, the loss was by just two points, narrowly beaten by Melbourne 14-12 at AAMI Park.

“So I noticed a few nerves among some of the boys last week,” Bateman revealed. “Jack Wighton and I actually spoke about this just the other day.

“Back in 2016, the boys went out in the same game.

“And given a couple of them are still around from that team, I could tell they didn’t want to lose like that again.

“So the moment we got that win, you could see the pressure disappear.

“It’s completely gone.

“The boys have been so relaxed this week.

“We’re a team with absolutely nothing to lose now.”

Certainly few teams have been more approachable in an NRL grand final week than these 2019 Raiders.

John Bateman is a key cog in the Green Machine.

“But I don’t understand why we wouldn’t enjoy it,” Bateman said.

“As a team, we’ve worked hard all year to get here. So what’s the use in locking yourself away now?

“That’s not going to help.

“We deserve to be here and we should embrace that.”

After being struck down by a virus early Thursday, Bateman was kept out of the Raiders training run ordered to rest over the ensuing 48 hours.

However, the rugged Bradford product explained that he had since come good much quicker than expected and would certainly not be missing out on Sunday’s decider.

Better, the undeniable NRL Buy of the Year was also able to spend some time yesterday with older brother Kyle, nan Patricia and best mate Liam Harrison, who have all flown in from England to attend the event.

Unfortunately, flight delays meant the trio required some 42 hours for the trip Down Under, although Kyle still did make the Dally M Awards — albeit as the main courses were being served.

“But to have them here, it’s great,” Bateman said.

Originally published as John Bateman hit by virus just three days out from NRL grand final