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[3] 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 Phil Gould and retained the position for the remainder of the year and played in the premiership winning team against Parramatta. In 1985, Battese was a member of the victorious Canterbury team that defeated St. George in the grand final.
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 A.C.T. in 1988, Battese played only two matches for the Canberra Raiders before retiring.