It’s been a few weeks since my last round-up of the comings and goings in rugby league, so there shouldn’t be a shortage of happenings for me to report on, especially so close to the registration deadline for this season, which is today, so let’s get down to business.

Headlining this update is the Warrington Wolves loan signing of John Bateman for the remainder of the season. Current league leaders Warrington have signed the 30-year-old from NRL strugglers Wests Tigers, and will hope he can recapture his former Super League form to catapult the Wolves to their first league title of the summer rugby era.

Bateman, whose former clubs include Canberra Raiders and Wigan Warriors, has 28 international caps for England and Great Britain to his name, scoring nine tries. He will be available for the top-of-the-table clash with 2nd placed Hull KR on Friday night.

Speaking of the Robins, they have added to their 2025 recruitment with the signing of Micky McIlorum from the Catalans Dragons. The vastly experienced 36-year-old will join his fellow Dragon Tom Davies in moving to East Yorkshire next year, and will no doubt replace long-time club stalwart Matt Parcell, who it has been announced will be leaving the Robins at the end of this season. He will compete for his position with fellow recent signing Bill Leyland, and Jez Litten.

McIllorum has won two Super League titles, and three Challenge Cups during his career, as well as international caps for both England and Ireland, and will no doubt be hoping to add to that trophy haul with the high-flying Robins.

It’s been a busy for Hull KR’s bitter rivals Hull FC also, as they have brought in several players on loan for the rest of the season. Firstly, there was Ed Chamberlain from Leigh, who has re-joined the Black-and-Whites on loan ahead of his permanent switch to East Yorkshire next season. He was soon joined by King Vuniyayawa from Salford, but in a cruel twist, an ankle injury to the Fijian forward seems to have written him out for the rest of the season. Finally, Leeds youngster Leon Ruan has joined the club for the rest of the season, and will go straight into this weekend’s squad to face St Helens.

Finally, in news that isn’t so much a transfer as a return, it was announced last week that Sam Tomkins was coming out of retirement to once again play for the Catalans Dragons. The ever-divisive Tomkins retired at the end of last season, and has occupied himself with a position in the Dragons backroom staff, as well as punditry for Sky Sports, but evidently the call of the game was too great for him to resist for one last go around. He returned to the team last weekend, scoring once and assisting another as Catalans beat Hull in the South of France.

Written by Nathan Major-Kershaw (Site editor & Hull KR fan)

All information accurate up to 1st August 2024.