John Bateman makes call on future as on-loan Warrington Wolves star set for NRL return..

John Bateman is set to return to NRL outfit Wests Tigers next season, ending his short stint at Super League club Warrington Wolves.

The Bradford-born forward still has two years of his contract remaining at the Sydney-based club, with reports emerging from Australia that he will now move back to the Tigers, who are coached by club legend Benji Marshall, at the end of the current season.

Bateman’s loan deal at Warrington was one of the more unorthodox transfer moves of recent times. The logic for Wests Tigers was to create cap space, with Bateman reported to be on a salary of around $600,000 a year. That saw Warrington take the player on for the rest of the season as a short-term signing in July.

However, the Sydney Morning Herald has now confirmed that Bateman’s management has informed the Tigers of his desire to stay with the NRL club, whose CEO Shane Richardson visited the UK earlier this year to offer several players to Super League clubs. The 30-year-old is contracted until the end of 2026 and will look to force his way back into Marshall’s side after finishing the season at the Wire.