Former Canberra Raiders captain Terry Campese would keep John Bateman in lime green

The English international confirmed on Saturday he was free to test his value on the open market due to salary cap restrictions, but wants to remain in Canberra.

Bateman is contracted to the Raiders until the end next season and denied reports he had seeked a release from his existing deal.

Canterbury-Bankstown, St. George Illawarra and Newcastle have emerged as potential landing spots for the Englishman next season.

So if Campese was writing the Raiders' cheques, he'd snap Bateman up in a heartbeat.

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"If I was controlling the money I'd be locking him up," Campese said.

"Ricky has found a lot of luck with English boys and he's definitely got four or five of the best in his side.

"I think they've brought a different perspective to the Raiders, the way they carry themselves and the way they play the game is awesome to watch. They're becoming fan favourites aren't they?

"I was lucky enough to give John his debut jumper and something I see in him, he's just one of those scrappers who'll fight over anything.

"He's definitely got a winning attitude, no matter what team he plays for they seem to be competitors. That's what he is, and he's a tough bastard as well."

Campese was confident the drama surrounding Bateman's contract wouldn't be a distraction ahead of the Raiders' return to Melbourne Park this week.

The Green Machine will relaunch their NRL campaign on the road against the Melbourne Storm on Saturday, but Bateman will miss the round-three clash due to a shoulder injury.

"Each and every week there's contract talks about someone," Campese said.

"He'll definitely be thinking about it, obviously it's the media who need to talk about something.

"That's the big news at the Raiders at the moment, so that's what the [media] is talking about. But the players will definitely forget about it when they step out onto the field."

The Raiders will look to continue their winning start to the NRL season, having beat the Gold Coast Titans and the New Zealand Warriors before the coronavirus pandemic forced it to shutdown.

Melbourne also have two wins under their belt, giving Canberra the ultimate test to see how they've returned from the enforced break.

Campese has backed the Raiders to pick up right where they left off, adding every pub in Canberra should be full to the restricted capacity to watch the mighty Green Machine's return.

"Definitely so, I'm very confident in their squad and what they showed in those two weeks," Campese said.

"I was lucky enough to be doing sideline radio for the first game and they had a nice outing.

"Everyone was a bit clunky but the Raiders started how they finished off last year. If everyone is kept fit and healthy, it's definitely a top four challenge."