John Bateman future remains unclear as NRL giants pull out of race for former Wigan Warriors star

The 31-year-old made an unusual mid-season switch to Warrington Wolves on loan midway through 2024, leaving Wests Tigers who went on to finish the NRL campaign at the bottom of the ladder.

Bateman’s future at Leichhardt Oval appears to be over, despite having two-years remaining on his current contract, with the England star looking elsewhere to continue his NRL career next season.

It was reported that Bateman had a falling out with Wests Tigers boss Benji Marshall, which prompted the move back to the Super League competition at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Manly Sea Eagles were one of the clubs said to be keen on the back-rower, but latest reports from Wide World of Sports have revealed that the NRL outfit have pulled their interest.

The reports state that Bateman’s management has ‘at least one other’ NRL club keen on his services, having played 66 times in the competition down under with Canberra Raiders and Wests Tigers.

The Tigers are believed to be open to paying a part of Bateman’s wages if he can complete a move to a rival club for 2025.

Bateman, who won two Super League titles with Wigan and was named Dally M back-rower of the year in 2019 with Canberra Raiders, represented England in the end-of-season Test series against Samoa, claiming a 2-0 win on home soil.