One year into his four-year contract, Jayden Sullivan is surplus to requirements after the Wests Tigers recruited Jarome Luai from the Penrith Panthers for an estimated $5 million and saw the emergence of young prodigy Lachlan Gavin.
The issue for Wests is that, according to recent sources from The Daily Telegraph, the club is willing to pay half of the remaining $1.8 million to remove Sullivan off their books, even though the deal is reportedly worth $2.4 million over four years.
Any team interested in acquiring Sullivan would have to pay $300,000, or roughly £150,000, which is within the means of several Super League teams.
Wests just won one of the 23-year-old’s eight games in 2024, and Sullivan fell far behind players like Aiden Sezer on the depth chart. Wests’ willingness to pay half of his salary after being previously connected to the Super League may cause half-back desperate clubs to take notice.
Hull FC was one of the teams mentioned when it first surfaced that Sullivan was not getting along at Wests and would be able to find a path to the Super League.
Since then, Sullivan’s colleague and former Super League player Aiden Sezer has been signed by the Black and Whites. It was John Cartwright who gave Sezer his NRL debut at Gold Coast.
Salford Red Devils was one of the other teams mentioned, but they won’t be in the market because Jayden Nikorima fell into their lap following his signing with the Catalan Dragons.
There are just a few Super League teams with available quota places, and Sullivan would obviously fill one of them. However, one of those teams recently lost a playmaker.
The Leigh Leopards have a quota and a playmaker position to fill after Matt Moylan retired, which might provide Sullivan a Super League option if he can’t find a lifeline in the NRL.
Wests’ decision to let go of Sullivan may have come at the ideal moment, since Derek Beaumont previously discussed the challenges of recruiting so late in the season.
John Bateman update as fresh twist emerges in Wests Tigers saga
The Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) has been called in to resolve the most recent dispute, adding another twist to the John Bateman-West Tigers story.
Following a falling out with Wests Tigers manager Benji Marshall, Bateman returned to the Super League for the second part of the 2024 season with Warrington Wolves.
The Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) was called in to resolve the most recent dispute between Bateman and the Tigers, which focused on a return to training, and according to reports from CODE Sports, Wests are happy for him to leave and may even contribute a portion of his salary as a way to get him out of the club.
According to CODE reports, Bateman requested to return to training on December 28th, but the club requested that he return on December 21st. The back-rower’s requested date occurred during the club’s Christmas break, so he wouldn’t be able to practice with Wests until the following year.
He earlier told NRL.com, “I’ll be spending my time with my family but after Christmas, I’ll be back there,” indicating that he intends to spend Christmas in the UK.
Manly Sea Eagles have once again been mentioned as a possible destination in the new issue, which has sparked exit rumours.
Before going on loan to Warrington for the second half of the 2024 season, Bateman made 32 appearances for Wests Tigers after joining the team in 2023. Additionally, he started in the Test One triumph and was called up to the England squad for the recent series against Samoa.
Although Bateman was eager to return to Australia and play in the NRL for any team, Wire head coach Sam Burgess was reportedly interested in keeping him with the team for the 2025 season.
Additionally, he had previously stated that he would rejoin the Tigers, who once again placed last in the NRL in 2024.
“When it comes out, it’s news to me,” Bateman admitted to NRL.com. “I have two years left at Wests Tigers, and I’m returning there; I haven’t talked to anyone over there about the team and such.”
To be fair, I haven’t even spoken to Wests Tigers since I departed. I just received a mail from them stating [when] I’m expected to report.
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