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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 23 January 1995 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (15 st 10 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 20 July 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Luke Bateman (born 23 January 1995) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and influencer.
Background
Bateman was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
Bateman played his junior football for the Souths Logan Magpies and Miles Devils, before being signed by the Canberra Raiders.
Playing career
Early career
From 2013 to 2015, Bateman played for the Canberra Raiders' NYC team,[2][3][4] captaining the side in 2014 and 2015.[5] On 20 April 2013, Bateman played for the Queensland under-20s team against the New South Wales under-20s team, playing off the interchange bench in the 36-12 loss at Penrith Stadium.[6] In February 2014, Bateman was selected in the Canberra Raiders 2014 Auckland Nines squad.[7] On 3 May 2014, Bateman again played for the Queensland under-20s team against the New South Wales under-20s team, starting at lock and scoring a try in the 30-8 loss at Penrith Stadium.[8] During the match, Bateman was sledged by halfback Mitchell Moses, calling him a ‘’fucking gay cunt’’ heard by the live TV audience and Moses was later slapped with a 2-match suspension for his derogatory comments.[9] On 26 September 2014, Bateman extended his contract with the Raiders from the end of 2015 to the end of 2016.[10]
2015
In January 2015, Bateman was selected in the Raiders 2015 Auckland Nines squad.[11] In Round 1 of the 2015 NRL season, Bateman made his NRL debut for the Canberra Raiders against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, playing off the interchange bench in the 24-20 win at Shark Park.[12][13] On 8 July 2015, Bateman played for the Queensland under-20s team against the New South Wales under-20s team for the third year in a row, playing in the starting team and scoring a try in the 32-16 loss at Suncorp Stadium.[14] Bateman finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 6 matches for the Raiders in the 2015 NRL season.
2016
Bateman was selected in the 2016 Auckland Nines squad with the Raiders. On 12 August 2016, Bateman extended his contract with the Raiders to the end of the 2018 season.[15] Bateman finished the 2016 NRL season playing in 21 matches for the Raiders.
2017
Bateman was selected in the Raiders 2017 Auckland Nines squad. In Round 21 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Bateman scored his first career NRL try in the 32-18 win at ANZ Stadium. Bateman finished the 2017 NRL season playing in 22 matches and scoring 1 try for the Raiders.
2018
On 7 May 2018, Bateman extended his contract with Canberra to the end of the 2019 season.[16] Bateman finished the 2018 NRL season playing in 22 matches.
2019
Bateman suffered a significant knee injury and made no appearances for Canberra in the 2019 NRL season.[17]
Post-playing career
Reality television
On 9 July 2023, Bateman was announced as one of the stars of season 11 of The Bachelors Australia.[18] The season aired in December 2023.[19]
In 2026, Bateman appeared in the twelfth season of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.[20] He finished in the top 3, losing out to Concetta Caristo who was crowned Queen of the Jungle on Sunday 22 February 2026.[21]
Social media
Bateman is a member of the BookTok community on TikTok, where he frequently posts reviews of romance novels. As of November 2025, Bateman has over 353,000 followers on TikTok[22] and 350,000 followers on Instagram.[23] In May of 2025, Bateman signed a two-book deal for a fantasy series with Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia.[24]
References
- ^ Luke Bateman rugbyleagueproject.org
- ^ Jon Tuxworth (24 September 2013). "Dive into league pays off for Bateman". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "NYC In the Sheds - Luke Bateman". Nrl.com. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "NYC Team List: Raiders v Sharks". Raiders. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Bateman back to lead by example". Raiders. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Under 20's Origin squads named". NRL.com. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "Squads named for Auckland Nines". 12 February 2014.
- ^ "Queensland name Under-20s Origin team". NRL.com. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Badel, Peter (6 May 2014). "U20s Maroon shrugs off gay slur". The Courier Mail.
- ^ "Luke Bateman extends his deal with the". Raiders. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "2015 Auckland Nines squad lists". 28 January 2015.
- ^ "NRL Late Mail: Raiders v Sharks". Raiders. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Walshaw, Nick (5 March 2015). "Barba battles as Sharks lose thriller". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Queensland Under 20s squad". QRL.com.au. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "Luke Bateman Re-Signs with the Raiders". 12 August 2016.
- ^ "New Canberra Raiders deal takes Luke Bateman out of his 'comfort zone'". 7 May 2018.
- ^ "Finals week 1". NSWRL.
- ^ Knox, David (9 July 2023). "New Bachelors cast confirmed". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ Knox, David (8 November 2023). "Returning: The Bachelors | TV Tonight". https://tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ Bucklow, Andrew (14 January 2026). "I'm a celeb reveals first contestant". news.com.au. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ Rugendyke, Louise (23 February 2026). "'It really was worth it': Concetta Caristo on the bravery of speaking out – and those dating rumours". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Publishing. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "Luke Bateman TikTok".
- ^ "Luke Bateman Instagram".
- ^ "LUKE BATEMAN SIGNS DEBUT FANTASY SERIES WITH ATRIA BOOKS AUSTRALIA". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
External links
