Eddie Battye | Player Perspective

From growing up on a buffalo farm in the Yorkshire countryside to a rugby league career spanning from London to France, Wakefield Trinity’s Eddie Battye has enjoyed an unconventional journey to Betfred Super League.

Battye was raised in Penistone, South Yorkshire. He grew up on his family’s farm out in the country – a far cry from the hustle and bustle of city life. And although it was a different upbringing to most of his friends and teammates, it was one he enjoyed.

“Looking back now, I loved it,?? Battye admitted.

“When you were younger you feel like you’re kind of isolated when you’re out in the sticks, but when you get older and you get your independence you realise how much you took it for granted.??

Battye was something of a latecomer to rugby league – he was introduced to the sport during a PE lesson at secondary school. From there his interest in the sport escalated, leading him to join local amateur side Hillsborough Hawks.

At the time, rugby league was nothing more than a chance to have some fun with mates. The concept of pursuing a career in the sport didn’t dawn on Battye until later down the line.

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“Initially it was just a game I played - until you get a bit older and you’ve got to start taking a bit more serious. I got into service area teams, but I never got into any regional camps or anything like that.

“When I went to service area teams, there was a few lads that were getting picked up by academies at that age, but I was never one that got picked up by them - so I never thought it would happen.??

After a brief stint in the Doncaster scholarship setup, Battye joined Championship side Sheffield Eagles. He spent his early days at the club in the reserves and on the periphery of the first team, with his chances of playing regular first team games limited.

Perhaps a product of his upbringing, Battye didn't mind doing things tough. Not one to sit around and watch his chance disappear, he decided to look for opportunities to play first grade rugby league during the Eagles off-season.

That led him to France. A different country, language and culture beckoned, but an invaluable opportunity to cut his teeth at first grade was an appealing lure. It took Battye to Villeneuve in the hope of conditioning himself in a tough, uncompromising environment.

“I felt like I needed to be playing regular first team rugby so that’s when I put the feelers out to France to go over there. It was just a good opportunity. Their season was the opposite to the season over here – they played in the winter, and it was just an opportunity for me to go play against men each week and it just happened to be in France.??

The move to France worked wonders for Battye, who returned to the Eagles in 2013. He became a regular feature in the side and was part of their 2013 Championship Grand Final winning side.

In fact, Battye has enjoyed his fair share of success in the Championship. After moving to London Broncos in 2016, he was a major factor in the Broncos promotion winning run two years later. It was somewhat of a fairy tale season for Battye and the Broncos – they played second fiddle to the much-fancied Toronto Wolfpack for large parts of the year, and were written off on multiple occasions.

But that’s nothing new for Battye. He’s had to fight tooth and nail for his opportunities and certainly appreciates the arduous route he’s been forced to take. Had it not been for that promotion winning season with London, his chance in Super League might have gone astray.

“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. There were times when I was thinking I’m never actually going to make it. When I’ve been out of contract and Super League clubs had been sniffing around with a bit of interest, no one ever wanted to take a chance on me until I was actually playing at that level [in Super League] with London. I don’t take it for granted.??

Now in his second full season with Wakefield Trinity after initially joining on loan midway through 2020, Battye finds himself in familiar territory. Many onlookers in rugby league circles had written off Trinity before a ball was kicked this season, and tipped them to struggle their way through 2022.

Admittedly, they’ve had a tough start to the new campaign. And it doesn’t get any easier against the well-fancied Warrington Wolves live on Channel 4 this Saturday. But Battye and his Trinity teammates aren't fazed and, after securing a much-needed first league win last week, can look ahead to their next challenge with confidence.

“I’ve always been told that we’ve not been good enough. Even in the Championship with London, people said we wasn’t good enough to be promoted.

“We get written off at Wakefield, but we know our capabilities and we know we’ve got quality in the squad. It’s up to us to get the best out of each other. 

"We got the first two points last week – it was a scratchy performance but they’re the wins you’ve got to get. It was a different way of winning so it was nice to get over the line and feel what it’s like to try and get used to winning. We’ve got another big step this week so hopefully we can go on a bit of a run and we’re looking forward to it. 

"That pressure of getting our first win is off our back so we can relax a little bit and hopefully this week put a performance together that will be more pleasing on the eye and less clunky because we have been a little bit scratchy these first few weeks. We’ve got a few bodies back from injury and suspension which is good. We’re confident we can go there and get the job done.??

Battye and his Wakefield Trinity side travel to Warrington to face the Wolves on Saturday 19 February live on Channel 4. Kick off is 12.30pm and coverage, led by Adam Hills and co, starts at 12pm.