Wests Tigers recruit John Bateman has rubbished claims that he was unavailable for the first two rounds of the season due to injury.

Speaking for the first time since arriving in Australia from England three weeks ago, Bateman reaffirmed the position of coach Tim Sheens that he was rested for the opening games to allow him time to acclimatise.

Several media reports claimed that Bateman was a no-show in the opening rounds due to an ankle injury he was carrying from his time with Wigan in the Super League.

The Tigers have strongly denied an ankle injury was behind the decision to rest him, triggering a stern response from chairman Lee Hagipantelis, who last week accused the media of publishing “clickbait” during a speech at before the defeat to Newcastle.

Bateman has been shielded from the media until now, but after a strong showing in his first game for the club in the loss to the Bulldogs at Belmore on Sunday, the 29-year-old finally addressed the speculation over his fitness.

“I literally got over [here] three weeks ago, so I’ve just tried to acclimatise and get to know the boys and the plays. It’s still a little bit scratchy out there for myself,” Bateman said.

“I probably don’t know half of the plays and how the boys play, so I’m just getting used to it and acclimatising. Quite a lot of people have been saying, ‘He’s injured blah, blah, blah’, but I think those people have never done a pre-season.

“A three-week pre-season isn’t good for anyone. If I’d have played the first week and got injured then everyone would have been saying, ‘Why did you play so early?’ To be fair, it’s a long season, so it’s about going out there and playing your best.”