Canberra Raiders announce signing of England star Bateman

The Canberra Raiders have signed England international star John Bateman on a three-year deal, beginning in 2019.

The 24-year old comes across from the Super League with stints for Wigan and Bradford where he played over 150 games, as well as 12 test matches for England.

Raiders recruitment and high-performance management director Peter Mulholland praised the club's addition of such an international talent.

"John is a wonderful talent who has the ability and skill set to play a number of positions," Mulholland told raiders.com. 

"We've already seen the success of both Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson transitioning from the Super League to the NRL and we see John as being a player who can make a similar impact in this competition."

"At 24, he's got the perfect mix of experience and youth and we're really looking forward to seeing him in green in 2019."

Bateman is renowned for his versatility and being capable of playing multiple positions. He has been negotiating a deal with the Raiders for several months, but has held off announcing the move so Wigan could first make their supporters aware.