Jack Wighton has come under fire for a perceived lack of loyalty after going to market despite the Raiders helping turn him into one of the game’s best paid players.
The 30-yerar-old has been at the Raiders since he was 14, but will test the open market for his last contract in rugby league, with money and the chance to win a premiership speculated as motives.
However, Paul Kent believes Wighton winning a competition with another team would be hollow after spending the majority of his career at the Raiders.
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“This is one thing I can’t cop,” Kent said on NRL 360.
“He [Wighton] wants to win a premiership and says he wants to go to a club where he can win a premiership. How hollow has that got to be?
“If he goes and signs with a team that is sitting one, two or three?
“If he goes and signs with Penrith for example or the Roosters, how much has he really contributed to that premiership as opposed to spending your career at a club where you’ve been the best-paid player, the player charged to take you there and he can’t get you there.”
Phil Rothfield pointed out Wighton has changed his tune significantly from the time he signed his last big contract with the Raiders four years ago.
“I went back and looked at his quotes in 2019 and 2020 when he did his last contract,” Rothfield said.
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“It was so passionate about Canberra, how good the club had been to him and how he wanted to win the comp here and be a one-club player like the champions.
“He’s just gone away from that theme now.”
Wighton’s comments in February 2020 were of a player committed to being a one club man and bringing a title back to Canberra.
“I think I’m on the path to that well and truly with this contract,” Wighton said at the time of being a one club player.
“It’s something I’m stoked about, it’s something that doesn’t happen very much these days. If I can become a one-club player in a city like Canberra, I’d be really grateful.
“I love it here, love the community and love the team.
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“I still remember when I moved down, I tried to go home every weekend homesick.
“To be here as one of the main players of the club, trying to help it grow and thrive, it’s very special to me and it’s something I take with a lot of responsibility now that I’ve been here so long.
“I want to win a competition with the Raiders.
“I know we have the squad to do it and if we can stay together and continue what we’ve built we’ll be able to achieve our goal.
“I love the club. They’ve always been there for me and I want to repay them by staying and playing the best footy I can to be successful.”
However, Brent Read believes the Raiders are still in the box seat to re-sign Wighton, but admits if he leaves, Canberra have a big void to fill given they never envisioned him moving on.
“They want to meet with him and put an extension before him as well. If Jack leaves them, it leaves them in a hole,” Read said on Triple M.
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“He’s their heart and soul. I think he’ll stay but there’s clearly an interest in sourcing his value and exploring his options, which is a concern if you’re a Raiders fan and Raiders official.”
Ryan Girdler believes Wighton’s decision will come down to what is important to him at this stage of his career and admits he may have to move on if he wants to win a premiership.
“He’s at the stage of his career where he needs to understand what’s important to him and he’s spent a lot of time down there,” Girdler said on Triple M.
“I’m sure that relationship, when it comes down to the nitty gritty and the negotiations, will come back and weigh in at some stage.
“But he also needs to think about what’s important to him moving forward and I’d say for Jack at the moment, you just spoke about where the Raiders are and he’s probably on the last contract he’s ever going to sign, does he want to win a comp?
“Because do the Raiders look like winning in the next four years? I know they’ve got some pathways and good juniors coming through but they’re a fair way off winning the premiership. “They had their little window in ‘18 and ‘19 and couldn’t get it done. It’s a big weight to carry around if you spend 14 or 15 years in the NRL and don’t win a title.”
