Loophole means Dally M winner Jack Wighton could jump ship

Rival clubs are reportedly circling Raiders star Jack Wighton, who has a surprise contract clause that could leave him free to walk away.

NRL Transfer Whispers: Nov. 18.

Raiders superstar Jack Wighton is reportedly considering leaving the club at the end of next season.

The 2020 Dally M Medal winner is halfway through a lucrative four-year deal but he has player options in his favour for 2023 and 2024.

Wighton is on around $800,000 per season but endured a lacklustre 2021 campaign and his name has reportedly been floated at rival clubs in recent weeks.

But Canberra legend Laurie Daley said the club shouldn’t be too worried, for now.

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“(If) that’s his preferred option, to test himself on the open market and the Raiders then get a chance to assess and see how he’s playing as well,” Daley told Big Sports Breakfast

“Obviously the contract is in Jack’s favour so he’ll have to improve on what he did last year, because I’m sure if he doesn’t improve on last year, I’m sure he’ll take that contract up pretty quickly.

“But if he comes out and plays the way he did in 2019, he’s a chance of being offered more money at another club.

“But do you want to relocate to another club, when you’re quite settled in Canberra?

NRL Transfer Whispers: Nov. 18.

“I don’t think it’s an issue for the Raiders at the moment, I think Jack wants to make sure he’s playing good football for the club first and foremost and if he does that then it comes down to a decision that he makes - is he happy in the environment, which I’m sure he is, does he like playing for the club, yep, and I’m sure he’ll take up that option.”

The five-eighth led the Raiders to their first grand final in 25 years in 2019 and was named the NRL’s best player the following year.

Big loser in Tigers signing coup emerges

Isaiah Papali’i’s surprise deal with the Wests Tigers has more ramifications than first meets the eye, with intriguing situations developing at both the Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels.

That’s according to News Corp’s Brent Read, who broke it all down on Triple M on Thursday.

Read confirmed that while Papali’i was coming to Wests, the club was still keen on keeping Luciano Leilua, and that it might be a different Tiger on his way out.

“They spoke to his [Leilua’s] management on Monday and made it clear that they still are keen to keep him and those talks are ongoing,” Read said.

“Obviously there’s a restriction on money now because Papali’i is taking up plenty of it. So, Luciano is looking for a big pay packet. It’s obviously going to depend on how much he gets offered elsewhere, and how much he wants, as to whether the Tigers will be able to afford him. But we should make it very clear: it’s not one or the other. The Tigers would be happy to keep both those guys.”

While Leilua is reportedly eyeing a payday in the region of $700k-a-season, Read suggested that figure was unlikely to be met by another club; opening the door to the Tigers partnering up Papali’i and Leilua, with Luke Garner on the outer.

“You would have Luciano playing on one edge, Papali’i on the other, and it probably means that Luke Garner is suddenly expendable,” Read said. “There’s been talk around Luke Garner for a while now. I know Manly were quite keen on him for a while ... so maybe Luke Garner becomes the guy who gets squeezed out of the club.”

While things are starting to look brighter for the Tigers, the situation for the Eels is only getting worse.

“To suggest they’re under the gun, under the barrel, is an understatement,” Read said. “They are under the pump big time. For me now, all the pressure is on them. Sammy Ayoub’s got Reed Mahoney, Clint Gutherson, and Junior Paulo ... and Parramatta’s lost all control of this landscape, because they just need to sign someone.”

That “someone” won’t be Ryan Matterson, though, with Read suggesting the Eels have no interest in retaining the star.

“That back-row for a lot of this year was Niukore, Papali’i and Ryan Matterson. Now, if you listen to the drums, they don’t want Ryan Matterson,” Read added. “They are happy for him to leave. He’s off contract at the end of next year, and as far as I know, I don’t even think they’ve made him an offer.”

Originally published as Loophole means Dally M winner Jack Wighton could jump ship