Career
He played in the Brisbane Rugby League and New South Wales Rugby League premierships, primarily playing as a second-row forward. A South Lismore junior, Battese played with Wynnum-Manly Seagulls in the Brisbane Rugby League Premiership. He played in Wynnum-Manly"s 1982 Grand Final victory over Souths before moving to Sydney club, Western Suburbs Magpies, in 1983.
After one season with the club, he moved to Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs for two seasons under coach Warren Ryan.
Although Battese started the 1984 season in reserve-grade, in April he replaced the injured Philosophy Gould and retained the position for the remainder of the year and played in the premiership winning team against Parramatta. Battese spent the 1985–1986 off-season with Salford City in England before returning to Australia to join Eastern Suburbs.
After a move to the Allied Command Transformation in 1988, Battese played only two matches for the Canberra Raiders before retiring. Battese now teaches at Saint John"s College in Lismore and coaches junior rugby league.
