Canberra’s new forward John Bateman joins Raiders’ stable of tough Pommies

IF Englishman John Bateman is as hard in defence as he is to understand, the Canberra Raiders are onto a winner with their versatile new forward.

Bateman looks ready for the next step in his career. (Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

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IF Englishman John Bateman is as hard in defence as he is to understand, the Canberra Raiders are onto a winner.

The agile Golden Boot nominee is the latest gun British recruit to grace the nation’s capital after signing on for the next three seasons.

Homesickness shouldn’t be a major issue, with Bateman’s thick Yorkshire accent to fit in well alongside fellow countrymen Elliott Whitehead, Josh Hodgson and Ryan Sutton.

Both hailing from Bradford, northern England, Bateman and Whitehead have been great mates for a decade.

Bateman has played alongside Hodgson at international level, while Sutton was a teammate at Wigan during last year’s Super League triumph.

John Bateman taking on the Rabbitohs for Wigan. (AAP Image/Craig Golding)

For Raiders winger Jordan Rapana, Bateman’s arrival will further blur the lines of communication.

“To be honest I still struggle to understand Elliott and Hodgo and I’ve been pretty good mates with them for the past two years,” Rapana told The Daily Telegraph.

“He’s a new boy so he’s going to have to have little Hodgo there translating for him, he’s pretty hard to understand.”

Rapana spent time in the heart of Yorkshire when he broke his cheekbone during New Zealand’s Four Nations final loss to the Kangaroos in England in 2016.

Rapana visited Whitehead and Bateman in Bradford where he faced the ultimate test of speech.

Bateman looks ready for the next step in his career. (Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

“Bradford’s a place where they’re renowned for how weird their accents are and how hard it is to understand them,” he said.

“I didn’t say much, I just gave the odd nod here and there and let them do the talking.”

Bateman, 25, has already played 15 Tests for England to go with his 167 Super League games.

At the end of 2018 he was short-listed as one of three nominees for the prestigious Man of Steele award as the competition’s best player.

The versatile forward spends most of his time in the back-row, but is also proficient in the middle of the field and at centre.

Bateman hasn’t made his task easy, joining a club stacked with forward depth including the likes of Sutton, Josh Papalii, Joe Tapine, Sia Soliola and his new housemate Whitehead.

“I’ve known him (Whitehead) for about nine or 10 years now. When I was a kid at Bradford he used to pick me up and drive me around all the time,” Bateman told The Daily Telegraph.

“I mainly play big minutes in the back-row, but often spend time in the middle from there.

“I just thought I wanted a good challenge. I’m looking forward to working with them (Raiders pack) to learn off them and improve my game.”

According to Rapana, the rigours of the NRL won’t be Bateman’s only challenge in Australia.

“He’s also got super white skin too, he’s pretty pale. He’s got the old moon tan.”

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