With each confirmation and denial of reports about John Bateman's return to the NRL a dagger goes in and out of the hearts of Raiders fans.
If the former Green Machine hero is in fact on his way back to Australia, just three years after he bitterly departed Canberra claiming homesickness, that pill will be tough for the Raiders faithful to swallow.
Not only that, he would be leaving his current club Wigan with two years left on his deal, meaning the Tigers would fork out the $250,000 transfer fee to secure his services.
That's despite the star forward himself refusing to deny the rumours he...