so he can't put a season together.

I like Ward, but we can't rely on him to be fit until he proves it.

I share your concerns, got a feeling the knee isn't going to plan either.
My guess is it's the way he plays the game and his relative youth. JJB was very similar injury wise early on but his body hardened and weaknesses were fixed. Hopefully same happens for Ward and he has a long healthy career ahead from now on.

How is Gold Coast the worst possible place for him?
Listen to the Market Watch NRL podcast about the Titans last week talk about Hardaker around 15 mins in

They point out that actually Gold Coast seems to be a good place for some troubled players to reform, such as Greg Bird and James Roberts
Could end up being a smart move

Also, if he has massive desires of playing NRL then it might be best to start at a team that would be more patient with him adapting, given he is only 24 and could move to a better club later if he proves himself

A move to Penrith or Souths is more risky, if GI or Moylan fail at 6 then he would be kicked to the centres or out the team

Signing Bateman would mean we have 2 of the future England back row, along with ward

However it would be a weird place to stregthen, given we have Ward Keinhorst, Ablett, Ferres, JJb and Delany, plus any youth products
Thats 6 players to fit 3/4 spots in a 17

It was in the Aus media Souths said no a month ago.

I've already posted this somewhere.

Gold Coast is full of coke, meth, hookers and gangsters. Sounds great right, but not for our Zak.

Give over! JJB and Delaney are shot and prob finished at end of this season. Ward as others have said has yet to prove his fitness....and Ferres has not yet being signed up...and will prob have better offers for next season (like Leigh or Wakey for example)

Ward Ablett and Keinhorst are a decent first choice second row plus bench spot
Ferres will be on similar money to Bateman anyway, although I would probably prefer Bateman
JJB was outstanding on Friday, he's got a couple of years if he can avoid further injuries, and would certainly do if he is our 4th/5th choice
We've also got Walters as a backup who I forgot about, so can probably afford to loose Achurch and Delany without signing another second rower giving us a tally of 6 in a 25 man squad

Bateman would be a good acquisition but the priority should be 9 and 7,

If we get him cheap because Wigan want to offload then I would take the risk though, I do feel we are a little soft since JP and Bailey left (although Galloway is improving and adding some spike to our pack)

Bailey was never tough for Leeds. He was never an enforcer of any kind. He was a decent player over his time with us but, especially the past few years, he's been a tart to be honest.
JP and Kylie far tougher doing the tough yards and the tough hits too.

I think thats unfair, Bailey put in good shots and hounded half backs, people say he always picked on halves like it was a bad thing, wind up a half and the opposition looses direction, wind up a prop and he runs harder, it is a more important role than you think
Bateman does this job well and thats the reason most opposition fans don't like him even if they know he is quality

JP didn't do this as much, but he still provided a bit of bite and needle and most importantly aggression that we are missing
I wouldn't say Kylie did this role much although he was liable for one or two monster shots per season

Of course the best example of an 'enforcer' would be Barry Mac, but a player like that couldn't really exist in the modern game, also he could just as easily loose you a game (by getting sent off) as win it for you (by rattling the opposition)

On Bateman, whilst he's shown a lot of promise and potential, a big part of me feels like eventually someone will have enough of his niggle and give him a proper belt - and I have a feeling that he would then suffer from what I like to call the Fieldens....
He's very aggressive with his tackles and runs, but has a lot of cheap, third man niggle in his game that he gets away with, I feel that then gives him the confidence to play above his weight - If Garbutt gave him the Tamou treatment, or someone reacted like Justin Poore did that day to Liam Farrell, I think we see Bateman have a sudden drop off in form.
In years gone by (pre-sanitised Superleague), when forwards were allowed to sort things out on the pitch, a proper forward would have put him back in his place as a jumped up little chav and he'd have been back hanging around outside the shops of Holme Wood long ago.

Only if he could ride a horse

I'm closer to getting into England team than Ferres is

I don't think so. I remember him having a set to with Peacock a few years back and it didn't turn him into a shrinking violet.

He's small for a forward but makes an impact because he plays above his weight. Call it small man syndrome if you like. It will always rile the opposition players and supporters. He's a genuinely tough lad.

He'd certainly improve any SL team whether you like his style or not.

Don't forget the thousands of macchiato swigging joggers from 4:30 am onwards! Gotta get those Kms in before it gets too hot.

Then there's the Melbourne and Sydney underworld who spend their holidays there.

Gold Coast just never sleeps