Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:49 pm  

moto748 wrote:

What, the bright lights of Canberra? Compared to Manchester and London?

It's just saying, just like saying hitting the big time.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Aug 29, 2021 1:02 am  

NSW wrote:

Brent Read reporting on Triple M there’s mumblings of Bateman going back to the NRL.

Search Readys mail on Spotify.


Can’t see it happening.

Surely not? After all the commotion he made about seeing his daughter it would be strange he would go back to Oz. If he does leave I won’t be shedding a tear, he’s been average at best since his return and I’m sure he’s on a big wage.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Aug 29, 2021 8:03 am  

CobraCraig wrote:

Surely not? After all the commotion he made about seeing his daughter it would be strange he would go back to Oz. If he does leave I won’t be shedding a tear, he’s been average at best since his return and I’m sure he’s on a big wage.

I’d put Bateman in the bracket of “managed & coached into an average performing player overnight” category. Considering how he thrived here in his first spell, this really does demonstrate the massive shift/decline in club culture in the past 3 seasons. Frightening how something that was our strongest trait as a club (arguably starting with Noble, excelled byMaguire/Wane) can be lost so quickly with the introduction of a single individual.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:41 pm  

CobraCraig wrote:

Surely not? After all the commotion he made about seeing his daughter it would be strange he would go back to Oz. If he does leave I won’t be shedding a tear, he’s been average at best since his return and I’m sure he’s on a big wage.

Also .. who's going to buy him on current terrible form?

There surely must be more to the due diligence Aussie clubs do on players than listening to those players' agents.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:47 am  

This Bateman rumour is a load of rubbish same as the Hardaker one, both will 100% be at the club next season

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:37 am  

Cruncher wrote:

Also .. who's going to buy him on current terrible form?

There surely must be more to the due diligence Aussie clubs do on players than listening to those players' agents.

Form is temporary, class i permanent and he arguably had his best ever year when he was in Oz.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:40 am  

CobraCraig wrote:

Form is temporary, class i permanent and he arguably had his best ever year when he was in Oz.

Suppose it depends whether he's carrying an injury or not.

At present, he's a shadow of his normal self, though for what it's worth, I feel sure he'll get back to his best.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:01 pm  

I mentioned it above, but for me Bateman's game is all based on having a point to prove and being a competitor. Being the lad from Bradford, who's smashing it in the NRL etc.

Many of us have sacrificed things we want for the greater good of kids & family and I applaud him for doing it. I do wonder however, if he's just lost a bit of his edge because of the choices he's had to make?

Getting yourself up for it week in, week out when you know you should/could be playing against the games best must be difficult. Add in being, arguably one of the British games biggest names, and everyone wants to get one over on you.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:13 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I mentioned it above, but for me Bateman's game is all based on having a point to prove and being a competitor. Being the lad from Bradford, who's smashing it in the NRL etc.

Many of us have sacrificed things we want for the greater good of kids & family and I applaud him for doing it. I do wonder however, if he's just lost a bit of his edge because of the choices he's had to make?

Getting yourself up for it week in, week out when you know you should/could be playing against the games best must be difficult. Add in being, arguably one of the British games biggest names, and everyone wants to get one over on you.

sergeant pepper wrote:

I mentioned it above, but for me Bateman's game is all based on having a point to prove and being a competitor. Being the lad from Bradford, who's smashing it in the NRL etc.

Many of us have sacrificed things we want for the greater good of kids & family and I applaud him for doing it. I do wonder however, if he's just lost a bit of his edge because of the choices he's had to make?

Getting yourself up for it week in, week out when you know you should/could be playing against the games best must be difficult. Add in being, arguably one of the British games biggest names, and everyone wants to get one over on you.

I think that's basically it and the reason why signing English players returning from the NRL is risky. Of all the players who've returned how many have come back because they've been desperate to play SL again? Barely any if any at all. There's been a handful who have come back towards the end of their careers (Graham/Morley/Ellis), perhaps because it gives them the best chance of winning one last trophy or maybe its a bit poetic to come back to where it began. But generally players tend to come back either because they're homesick and miss family (Williams/Bateman) or they weren't good enough to break into the team (Sarginson/Burgess/Greenwood).

How many people outside of sport leave their job to do something different and then years later return to the exact same job within the same organisation? It doesn't tend to happen mainly because it would feel like a step back and very uninspiring. That's why I don't feel George Williams warranted any criticism and we may in fact have dodged a bullet there. We need to think carefully about the policy of recruiting former players.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:43 pm  

Reading Wigan and Catalan are trying to sign Mitchell Pearce but he’s likely to stay at Newcastle for one more year.