They are team-mates together at Wigan in 2021, but John Bateman can still remember the first time he heard Morgan Smithies' name five years ago.
Bateman and Smithies are two of the most exciting forwards in the English game, with a lot of evident similarities between the two - not least their all-action style of play.
Both seem settled at Wigan for the long term, but the pair grew up just a few miles apart over the Pennines in West Yorkshire.
Bradford-born Bateman's family has strong ties with Siddal, Smithies' junior club in Halifax where he learned to play rugby league.
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