Canberra star Josh Hodgson has welcomed the NRL club's recruitment of another English player after Wigan's John Bateman signed a three-year deal with the Raiders.
After making the switch from English Super League in 2015, Hodgson has been joined by Elliott Whitehead in 2016, and from next season, Bateman and Ryan Sutton.
Bateman, 24, has played 12 Tests for England since 2015 and arrives with more than 150 games worth of Super League experience with his home-town club Bradford and then Wigan.
Hodgson has no doubt the versatile Bateman will fit into the Raiders team.
"There's a few of us (Englishmen) coming now so it looks like we've half taken over this joint," he said.
"(Bateman's) a fantastic player and I'd been hoping for a while we'd get him across the line.
"I spoke to 'Stick' (Raiders coach Ricky Stuart) at the start of the year about him, he's just a natural competitor and hates being beaten."
Bateman can play second row and centre, an attribute Hodgson believes will be crucial.
The Raiders have been forced to put players in unfamiliar positions this season because of injuries, resulting in some inconsistent results.
"He's played centre for England, back row and has played in the middle for Wigan as well," Hodgson said of Bateman.
"To have that type of person in your squad at only 24 is an exciting signing for us."
While Bateman and Sutton are heading to the club next season, the Raiders will farewell five-eighth Blake Austin plus forwards Junior Paulo and Shannon Boyd at season's end.
Bateman exercised an opt-out clause in his Warriors contract to move to the Raiders, with Wigan saying they received an undisclosed transfer fee.
However, Bateman has agreed to become a marquee player back at Wigan once he finishes in the NRL.
But there are no guarantees when that will be as he has signed with Canberra until the end of the 2021 season.
"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," Bateman said.
"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."
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