- NRL star was racing the clock to be available
- Even when his partner was induced, it was still a race against time
- One of his teammates has also welcomed a new arrival
North Queensland Cowboys star John Bateman has revealed that his wife had her labour induced so he wouldn’t have to miss a game while waiting for their newborn son to arrive.
The England international flew from Townsville to Brisbane just hours before his team were due to take on the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium last Friday night.
The reason for the late flight? His partner, Amy Reilly, gave birth to their second child, Bobby Edward, the day before the game.
Amy stretched on Monday in hopes of triggering labour before gameday, but ‘it didn’t happen,’ Bateman told News Corp.
‘We had to wait 48 hours and then ended up inducing her Wednesday so I could play the game on Friday.’
However, even those measures appeared destined to fail until things took a turn in the early hours of Thursday.
North Queensland Cowboys star John Bateman had a disrupted preparation for the derby clash against the Brisbane Broncos
Bateman’s partner Amy Reilly with their son Joey and their newborn arrival Bobby Edward
The little bundle of joy had to be induced so Bateman could make it to his footy game on Friday
‘It didn’t set her off until 2.30am Thursday morning. She woke me up and said she was having contractions so we went straight to hospital,’ Bateman said.
Bobby was born at 9.51am on Thursday. The couple left hospital that evening, and Bateman got minimal rest that night.
‘He was waking her up every 20 minutes for feeds so I ended up going to the other bedroom then flew out at 8am on game day,’ he said.
‘I got about three hours’ sleep, had some food and played.’
Despite the exhaustion, Bateman pushed through a full 80-minute performance, registering 37 tackles in Brisbane’s humid conditions.
Bobby is the couple’s second child, after the welcomed their son Joey to the world in 2022. Bateman also has a daughter, Millie, living in the UK.
Looking ahead, Bateman hopes for a more settled build-up to Saturday’s clash against his former club, Canberra, in Townsville.
‘I’m looking forward to playing Canberra. They have been going pretty well. They’re young and enthusiastic,’ he said.
Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater and his wife Oshah welcomed their second daughter this week
Maliah Rose was born at home on Tuesday, leaving Scott plenty of time to prepare for the game against the Canberra Raiders
There might be something in the water in Townsville, because a similar situation also played out at the home of fullback Scott Drinkwater this week.
Ahead of the club’s clash against Canberra, Drinkwater and his wife Oshah welcomed their second daughter, Maliah Rose, on Tuesday.
‘Our hearts are so full,’ Oshah wrote in the Instagram caption announcing the new arrival.
The Drinkwaters first became parents in 2023, a few months before tying the knot in a secret ceremony on Magnetic Island off the coast of Townsville.
Canberra, fresh from a tough loss to Manly, will face wet and humid conditions and a determined North Queensland side.
Raiders captain Joe Tapine returns from suspension, and edge forward Matty Nicholson retains his starting spot.
