Breaking: Tigers set to sign in super league fans favorite super star for John Bateman’s replacement.
The NRL’s enduring underdogs appear to be the Wests Tigers. With just two victories from their first ten games, they are presently in 15th place, two slots from the bottom, having finished last in 2022 and 2023. According to reports, they intend to attack Super League for its best players.
In an attempt to right the ship before the new season began, the team hired Benji Marshall, a former great from New Zealand, as head coach. Shane Richardson was also named Chief Executive by them. It seems that Richardson is now getting down to business in rebuilding the struggling Tigers team.
The news that Richardson had flown to the UK with the intention of offloading some of the team’s underperforming players leaked yesterday in Australia. Additionally, it seems that Richardson is trying to sign some of the best players in the league.
Wests Tigers intend to plunder elite Super League players
A Yahoo Sport Australia article claims that Richardson is trying to find Super League players who can help turn the Tigers’ fortunes around. According to the report:
As part of a significant roster revamp, Tigers CEO Shane Richardson is currently traveling abroad in an attempt to trade even more of their players to Super League teams. It is also said that he is considering adding some of England’s best players to the Tigers.
Reliable Australian analyst Andrew Voss stated that “Shane Richardson, we’re told, is over in the UK, looking to recruit from there” in an interview with SEN radio.
Richardson is in the UK at the ideal moment, as Super League transfer activity is heating up and multiple significant signings have been confirmed in recent days. Super League teams will be keeping a close eye on their biggest players in case they get injured.
Bateman about to leave Tigers
Richardson apparently has John Bateman at the top of his list of people to let go. Bateman did not sign a contract with the Tigers until 2023; instead, it expired at the end of 2026. He does, however, command a high salary, and the Tigers are eager to release the salary cap space he took up.
Voss attested to the fact that Richardson was doing more than merely recruiting. Additionally, he spoke to the growing momentum for Bateman’s comeback.
He’s not merely a recruiter. It appears like he’s offloading. Because John Bateman’s story—my friends in the UK have written that he is coming home—is so real. He is returning to the Super League. They have already begun airing stories.
Bateman has continued to be an important member of the Tigers team this season despite rumors that he is leaving. This season, he has participated in eight Tigers games and has played the entire 80 minutes six times.
The announcement of Bateman’s availability is expected to cause a rush among Super League teams eager to hire the seasoned England international.
