John Bateman

Gatoa, Jesse Ramian.

Losses, Mason Barber, Johnny Bateman, Scotty Drinkwater, Harrison Edwards, Widamu Gregg, Zach Hedgerton, Matt Lodge, Sam McIntyre, Murray Talangi, and Viliami Valaia.

Yeah, look, there's not much to really talk about with the Cowboys.

I think they're doing everything right.

but this is the other thing.

Can you imagine the shit fight that's going to erupt If this kid, you know, a kid who's a 29-year-old man, if he can't find a contract because of the NRL's imposed notional value, which was imposed to keep him at the Raiders, which has now fallen over, and I dare say he will probably experience a bit of John Bateman treatment here where the Raiders will go, mate, the deal's done, it's off the table, and we're not sitting back down again.

Mm-hmm.

So he's on the NRL books worth 1.1. Who's going to pay that? If no one is willing to pay that, we'll pay 800, we'll pay 850 or whatever.

Because he's already had to leave Australia in shame once.

Do you reckon James Hooper's somewhere in his rugby league insider studio preparing a monologue for when Williams bails again? And could you imagine John Bateman sitting back at his Bradford mansion overlooking Charnotsel getting something ready to come back in reply? LAUGHTER I thought you were aware that's what we called the odd soul.

Oh man, imagine stepping out on your balcony, martini in hand, in a dressing robe, sitting down on a reclining chair, Putting your feet up, getting ready to relax, and your view outside of your luxury apartment is a fucking odds hole.

Nah, nah, it's even better.

Yes.

John Bateman.

Bateman oh yeah because you you need a bit of safety he's a security guard

yeah

They're not big, but they can play.

Like, I remember John Bateman.

I think sometimes you get down in the 90s, you know, and he'll be up there with the Angus Crichtons and, you know, getting stuck into the Olukawatus and guys like that.

It's such a variation in players these days and what the smaller guys can do.

the phones we go before the week runs out.

We talk

to John.

G'day, John.

M- Morgan Knowles who played for-

They picked KPP over the best second rower ever, John Bateman.

Uh, I think he, he retired from the national team.

Oh, has he?

They've got, um-

Bateman.

No, aren't they from, um...

He used to play for what's-his-name, who's in the NRL.

His name escapes me.

Bateman.

Bateman, sorry, yeah.

Bateman.

It's great that there's so many com- or so much competition for each position.

I think, you know, with Will Price being injured, with Ash Hanley being injured, with Jake Waters being injured, it could've been a, if we're just going out of Super League, well, who are we gonna put there? We're gonna put a John Bateman there who's played back row, and we'll have to play him in the center.

We're gonna actually have genuine superstars-

Yeah

You know what? I actually, on, on the [laughs]...

I've actually changed John Bateman's Wikipedia page once.

[laughs]

Saying that he made his... 'Cause he, um, I think he made his debut, or, um, like one of his early games I played against him, and I made a, a line break, not through him.

But I changed [laughs] put this big massive paragraph-

[laughs]

... on Wikipedia [laughs] just great run with John Bateman.

[laughs]