England international John Bateman has confirmed he will leave Wigan at the end of the season to join the NRL where he is expected to link with Canberra.
The centre or second rower has exercised an opt-out clause in his Warriors contract that enables him to make the move for 2019 and, although his destination has not been revealed, he will likely join current teammate Ryan Sutton at the Raiders.
Wigan say they will receive an undisclosed transfer fee for the former Bradford player, who has also agreed a three-year deal deal to become their marquee player when he returns to Super League at the end of his stint in Australia.
Bateman, 24, who joined Wigan from Bradford five years ago, said: "This has been an incredibly tough decision for me to make as I have enjoyed my time at Wigan so much.
"But, ultimately, I have always had the desire to play in the NRL at some point in my career so this opportunity is something I didn't want to turn down.
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"Wigan did all they could, in my opinion, to keep me here but I was always up front with them regarding my motivation to play in a different competition.
"Although I'm sad to be leaving the Warriors, it's great to know I'll be returning here in a couple of years."
