Jack Wighton’s reported move to South Sydney has sparked plenty of debate about what the future holds for all parties — including a potentially tense situation between the Test star and his current club Canberra.
The 30-year-old is poised to sign with the Rabbitohs from next season but the situation “could get ugly” with the Raiders requesting the NRL investigate the signing.
Wighton will reportedly take a pay cut worth as much as $1m over four years after turning down more lucrative offers from his current club and Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins.
Watch every game of every round of the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Will Wighton shake up Souths side? | 02:43
While the player himself is yet to speak publicly, reports have suggested Wighton’s decision to join the Rabbitohs is driven by a belief it will give him the best chance to win a premiership in the coming years.
If true, that will not go down well with the Canberra playing group according to club legend Laurie Daley, who on Wednesday morning expressed surprise at Wighton’s reported decision.
“I thought the Raiders have obviously been a big part of Jack’s career and Jack’s been a big part of the Raiders and I thought that relationship there at the end of the day would have been stronger than anything,” Daley said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
“He’s decided to go to South Sydney and nobody can blame you for changing clubs. It’s a decision the player can always make when he’s off-contract.
“The Raiders would be disappointed to lose Jack, they offered him a wonderful deal. We haven’t heard from Jack yet but you’d like to know the reasons why he left. They are talking about he wants to win a premiership.
“But if that’s the case that means he’s playing at a club at the moment that he doesn’t believe will win the comp this year or doesn’t believe will win the comp in the next four years. That mightn’t go down too well with some of the players if that’s the reason why he’s leaving.”
MORE NRL NEWS
BIG HITS: Enforcer leads Storm to epic comeback win; Warriors show true guts
BIG HITS: Keary-Manu combo delivers just; ‘Freak’ Sloan shines in Dragons’ comeback
RESERVES WRAP: Dumped Rooster upstaged as axed young guns send big statement
Daley, who won three premierships with Canberra, emphatically suggested the Raiders were bigger than any one player.
“I’ll say this … Mal Meninga is Canberra’s greatest ever player. He retired and the club moved on and had a successful period with life after him,” Daley said.
“So while as disappointing as it is that Jack will move on and play with South Sydney next year and they’ve picked up a fantastic player … the Canberra Raiders they’re a very proud club. They’ll recruit as well as they possibly can and I’m sure they’ll be back bigger and better.”
Daley’s co-host, former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke, agreed the Raiders should carry that mentally about losing Wighton — and warned complaining to the NRL about his deal with the Rabbitohs was a bad look.
“This is where, while it’s unfortunate for the Raiders, no matter what’s going on at South Sydney they just have to let this go,” Clarke said.
“You look bitter, you look twisted, you look angry.
“Even if they find a way and find out that something hasn’t been legitimate or right … you don’t want Jack there anyway. Jack is now gone.
“… The hardest thing for the Raiders is going to be Jack this year. If he’s made it very clear he doesn’t think the Raiders are going to make a grand final in the next four years that’s going to make it hard for him to look his teammates in the eye this year
“From a Raiders perspective, let it go. He’s gone. You don’t want a player at your club that doesn’t want to be there, no matter how good they are.”
Sharks back Hynes for Blues spot | 01:23
Reacting to the news on Fox League on Tuesday night, both Corey Parker and Cooper Cronk suggested this could be just the start of ongoing tensions.
“The Canberra Raiders are obviously very disappointed that they’ve lost a player in the calibre of Jack Wighton considering they offered $1.1 million for four years,” Parker said.
“From the start when Jack retired from rep football to leaving the Raiders, it just had a smell about it. It just had a smell of something’s not quite right.
“Now that the Raiders are making a formal complaint to the NRL in regards to his contract, I don’t think this is the last we’ll hear about this.”
“I find this weird and this could get uglier and uglier depending which way it goes,” Cronk added.
“I’m not saying anything but the Raiders are alleging they want everything clear and clean and then if it is clear and clean, then Jack’s left for reasons that he thinks the Raiders can’t get him where he wants to get to. This could get ugly.”
South Sydney star Damien Cook said on Wednesday morning he had not heard any confirmation about Wighton’s reported deal but described the player’s supposed preference to join the Rabbitohs as a “massive hit of confidence for the club.”
“But based on what I’m seeing on social media it looks like it’s all good to go. It’s definitely exciting,” Cook said on the Big Sports Breakfast.
Warriors burnt by controversial try? | 00:43
“He’s a player that any team would find a position for and find a way to get him into the 17 . He’s just a footballer, Dally M medallist, Clive Churchill medallist, he’s just a great player and has performed on this biggest stage in State of Origin and for his country as well
“He’s going to be a great asset. I’m just waiting to hear any sort of confirmation
Asked what position Wighton could play in the star-studded Souths line-up, Cook said:
“I don’t know but there’s definitely options, there’s centre. Move a few boys around the backline there, which is obviously a hard one because I think both our centres at the moment are playing really good footy – Campell Graham and (Isaah) Tass are doing a really good job there.
“He’s a centre, he’s a fullback, he can play five-eighth . He can cover a lot of positions for us. Not that it’s going to be somebody like Jack Wighton as a 14 on the bench but that’s the type of player he is you can put him anywhere. That’s probably a question for JD (coach Jason Demetriou) I think.”
