Former Wigan Warriors star John Bateman set for Bradford Bulls homecoming - 'It gives me goosebumps'

Former Wigan Warriors star John Bateman will return to Super League ahead of next season, having signed a two-year deal with hometown club Bradford Bulls, who hold the option of a third year.

The 32-year-old forward will play out the rest of this season in the NRL with North Queensland Cowboys before he returns to Bradford, the place where his professional rugby league career began, ahead of next year.

Bateman came through the Bulls’ youth ranks, making his first-team debut at the age of 17. He made 35 appearances across three seasons with Bradford before making a high-profile move to Wigan, where he won two Super League titles and a World Club Challenge title. He then made the switch over to the NRL for the first time ahead of the 2019 campaign with Canberra Raiders.

After two seasons with the Raiders, Bateman returned to Wigan, helping Matt Peet’s side lift the Challenge Cup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022 before enjoying further spells in the NRL with Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys, and even a loan spell back in England with Warrington Wolves.

Bateman is now likely to finish his career in the place where it all started for him, having penned a two-year deal from 2027 with his boyhood club Bradford, who hold the option of a third year.

“It is pretty surreal, this is something I’ve wanted to do in my career, but in the back of my mind I didn’t think I would get the chance,” said Bateman.

“When Bradford got promoted back to Super League, coming back was something I wanted to make happen and having spoken to Jason (Hirst, chief executive) and Kurt (Haggerty, head coach) over the last few months, it made the decision a lot easier and now to have got it over the line in the last couple of days is a great feeling.

“It gives me goosebumps thinking about running back out at Bartercard Odsal. It’s been a long time since I did that in a Bradford shirt, and I am just excited to be a part of the project that Kurt and Jason are building. I am looking to give as much as I can to the club and the city. I am a Bradford lad, and this city means more to me than anything.

“I am at a different stage of my career now. I have been the kid in the team, so I am looking to give some of my experience and knowledge to the younger players and work together with the more senior blokes. Emotion aside, first and foremost, I am a winner, and that’s why I’ve come back. I want to win games, I want us to finish in the top six and play big games, I want the club to be back in big games, and I want the city to pack out Odsal watching big games. My aim is to put my best foot forward for the team and play my best rugby.”

Bradford coach Kurt Haggerty is delighted to secure the services of the experienced Bateman, who has won 31 international caps for Great Britain and England.

“I’m extremely excited to be bringing John back to Bradford,” said Haggerty. “It’s very much a full-circle move for him, and we’re glad to have him back home.

“There’s still a lot of quality left in John. Having had numerous conversations with him, he’s really shown how much it means to play for Bradford Bulls and come home. It shows when you’re a local lad, and you put the Bulls shirt on, you get that extra 10 per cent, which is really important, especially in big games.

“Having a Bradford DNA to our group was really important to me when I first came to the club. I sat down with the staff to identify players who are from Bradford or have played for Bradford previously, and look at how we can bring them back or effectively bring them home.

“As soon as I saw John’s name, he was one of the first players I wanted to get back to Bradford, so I am extremely happy to have him over the line. I am looking forward to working with him, and he’s exactly what we need at this club. He’s tough, physical and is still a classy player.

“This is a statement of intent. It’s a signing that is going to make everyone stand up and look at what we are doing. John epitomises the strapline we have, ‘The Scrappers’, and I know when we go to Headingley next year, you want people like John Bateman in your side, so it’s a really big signing for the club.

“The need for more leadership and experience is something I identified in our recruitment meetings, so having a player of John’s calibre, who has played in some very big games such as Grand Finals and Challenge Cup finals - he is exactly what we need.”