Tuesday 3 April 2018 16:28, UK
The possible NRL future of John Bateman, the suspension of Sam Burgess and recurring problems at Parramatta and Canberra all feature in this week's NRL round-up
Could John Bateman be the next England player to ply his trade in the NRL? Well, the Wigan second-row continues to be linked with a number of Australian clubs.
It is believed Brisbane, Cronulla, Canberra and Newcastle are all interested in the England international, who is contracted to Wigan Warriors until the end of the 2019 season - but has a clause allowing him to make the move Down Under at the end of this year.
If Bateman opts for Canberra, he will again play alongside England and former Bradford teammate Elliott Whitehead - and the Raiders' second-rower believes Bateman would be a perfect fit.
"John's a quality player and I know what he's capable of. He can play a lot of different positions and if he does come over here, he'll improve on his game again," Whitehead said.
Last week Bateman outlined that he would make a decision on his future once the busy Easter period was over. It shouldn't be too long before we know whether his future lies in Super League or the NRL.
Sam Burgess will be forced to watch South Sydney from the sidelines for the next two games after being handed a two-match ban.
Despite pleading not guilty, the NRL judiciary found against the England international for elbowing Bulldogs' centre Josh Morris in the throat during Friday's 20-16 win.
Burgess will miss the Rabbitohs' round five match against St George Illawarra, which you can see live on Sky Sports Arena on Friday morning, as well as their game against the Roosters the following week.
South Sydney coach Anthony Seibold suggested he was disappointed with the outcome.
"I don't want to make any further comment other than we've got a game to prepare for on Friday night against the Dragons and we don't want this to be a distraction."
The NRL might only be heading into the fifth round, but looking at the ladder it doesn't make pleasant reading for Canberra and Parramatta supporters. Of the 16 teams, they are the only two sides yet to win a game this season.
The Eels suffered a fourth straight defeat on Monday when they fell to the Wests Tigers 30-20 and coach Brad Arthur has threatened to drop players in a bid to get their season back on track.
"Individuals have got to be accountable and if blokes can't be disciplined they won't be in the team," he said.
As for Canberra, they are also having a dismal season. Ricky Stuart's team lost 32-16 to Manly on Saturday, and the head coach has also turned up the heat on his players, calling them 'soft'.
"They should all be owning up to themselves saying 'I want to play to get myself out of (the team)' because what they dished up tonight, they should be embarrassed to put a Raiders' jumper on."
He added: "Soft. Soft football, soft pieces of play, soft choices and I've probably protected them for too long," Stuart said.
The club are without their injured star hooker Josh Hodgson and, to make matters worse for the Raiders, full-back Jack Wighton is under police investigation after an alleged nightclub fight in the off-season.
If Wighton is stood down, he would be a massive loss for the struggling side. The full-back has been the club's standout player, leading Canberra for metres run and line-break assists this season.
