Raiders officials have dismissed suggestions by English back-rower John Bateman that the club intentionally leaked information about halfback George Williams seeking a return to the UK due to homesickness.
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Bateman, who spent two seasons in the capital before returning to Wigan on a four-year multi-million dollar contract, has intimated someone in the club's "back room" has been leaking information - a claim the Raiders have strongly denied.
Wigan is believed to be one of several clubs interested in Williams' services, should the 26-year-old leave Canberra before the duration of his playing contract which runs until the end of 2022.
Williams and his pregnant partner Charlotte Lewis are homesick, and the player's management team is set to meet with the club in the coming weeks to try and mediate a solution. The pair have been unable to return to their native England since Williams signed with the club at the end of 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I don't understand how you're told to keep things internally but the next minute you've got [journalists] chatting about it within 24 hours of what's been said at the club," Bateman told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"You ask yourself, 'Who is leaking that stuff out'?
"Player-wise, you all trust each other. I never thought it was the players. I trusted the players.
"It had to be someone in the back room, or someone who knew what happened in the conversations. I had a conversation with Ricky [Stuart] before and he told me it wasn't him.
"I asked him about my situation. I asked him where all these stories were coming from and he said, 'I'm not too sure, it might be your management'."
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Raiders chief Don Furner responded by saying: "Of course he's going to say we should let him go because they [Wigan] want him."
Should Williams return to England next season, Warrington, and not his boyhood club Wigan, looks a more likely destination for the talented number seven.
Warrington is facing the prospect of losing halves Gareth Widdop and Blake Austin next season which would leave gaping playmaking holes to be filled.
Meanwhile, Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will be forced into more changes ahead of Saturday's clash with the Canterbury Bulldogs when he names his side on Tuesday afternoon.
Englishman Ryan Sutton is awaiting scan results on the elbow he injured in Saturday's loss to Newcastle and could miss several weeks. The Raiders will also assess Joe Tapine (knee) and Jordan Rapana (hamstring) after another dire day for the club in Wagga Wagga.
Hooker Josh Hodgson is expected to be available for selection after missing three matches with a calf injury, while co-captain Jarrod Croker may need another week before coming back from a shoulder complaint.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
