JACOB Bateman will make his loan at Dewsbury Rams permanent after penning a two-year deal with the Championship club.

The 20-year-old, who joined the club on a season-long loan from Bradford Bulls at the beginning of the campaign, has featured 16 times for tenth-placed Dewsbury so far.

Bateman made just one first-team appearance for Bradford – against Sheffield Eagles back in 2024 – but has enjoyed fruitful loan spells with Cornwall, Batley Bulldogs and Newcastle Thunder since.

And the versatile forward admits the decision to remain at the FLAIR Stadium was an easy one.

“After joining the Rams on loan, the club really grew on me to the point where I wanted to stay, so signing the contract was a no-brainer,” he explained.

“I can’t wait to dig in here for the next two years.”

Head coach Paul March believes Bateman’s versatility will be a real asset for the Rams, adding: “Jacob has enjoyed playing with us this year and is grateful for an opportunity.

“His way of repaying us is to stick around for the next 2 years and continue his development, and hopefully fulfill his dream of playing in the Super League one day,

“I see him as a line running back rower who can also play middle, so his versatility will give me plenty of options.”

During his loan, Bateman has regularly played alongside veteran forward Danny Addy, who has also signed a two-year contract at the club.

The 35-year-old, who joined Dewsbury from North Wales Crusaders in mid-March, has racked up well over 300 career appearances for the likes of Featherstone Rovers, Bradford Bulls, Hull KR and Salford.

He made an immediate impact, scoring seven times in nine appearances, with March hopeful that his experience will only aid the club’s younger end.

“I’m delighted that Danny is staying with us,” said the head coach. “He’s a very good player and links the forwards and backs together.

“He also brings a wealth of experience that will help our young team get better.”