‘It’ll be a weird feeling for him’: Jack Wighton heads back to Canberra for first time as Souths look to keep slim finals hopes alive

He was once the prince of Canberra, but Jack Wighton will return to the nation’s capital for the first time this weekend after he left the club to chase a premiership.

Jack Wighton will face the Raiders for the first time since leaving them as the Rabbitohs look to keep their slim finals hopes alive. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

South Sydney veteran Damien Cook says it’ll be a “weird feeling” for Jack Wighton when he returns to Canberra for the first time since he left the Green Machine to join the Rabbitohs in search of premiership success.

Wighton spent 12 seasons in the nation’s capital where he excelled in the outside backs, at fullback and then at five-eighth where he won the Clive Churchill Medal in the 2019 grand final and then the Dally M Medal the following year.

Canberra desperately wanted to keep him and even offered considerably more money than the Rabbitohs were prepared to pay in the hope he’d be a 300-gamer for the club, but it wasn’t enough as Wighton chose to move to Sydney after signing a four-year deal.

Wighton declined to comment when asked about the upcoming game against his former side, but Cook wants him to enjoy it having done it a number of times against his former clubs the Bulldogs and Dragons, with the hooker set to return to the Red V in 2025 where he’ll have to face his long-time Souths comrades.

Jack Wighton spent more than a decade in Canberra where he dominated their attack and took them to a grand final. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

“You enjoy coming up against your old teams,” he said.

“I don’t know if he gets nervous, but he’s a competitor who just goes out and plays.

“I have no doubt that it’ll be a weird feeling for him, but I’m sure he’ll enjoy it because I’ve always enjoyed it whenever I come up against the Dogs or Dragons. Those are games that you want to go out and have good games.”

Wighton started the year at left centre but lost seven of his eight games there before he was shifted to the halves to play alongside Cody Walker, with the Rabbitohs turning their season around with six wins from their past seven.

That ability to switch roles is a huge asset for the Rabbitohs, with Wighton’s competitive spirit proving crucial for a team that has dealt with a stack of injuries and suspensions to their key men.

Wighton’s move to five-eighth has helped save South Sydney’s season. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“He just competes and loves playing footy, no matter what’s in front of him,” Cook said.

“Sometimes when we’re a bit all over the place, he just grabs the ball and takes the line on with a hard run, and he’s been telling the rest of us to do that as well.

“He’s been great for us since he got here. I wanted him to come to the club really badly, so it’s going to be hard next year when he’s not alongside me.”

Wighton’s return to Canberra is more than just a sentimental clash, with both teams fighting for a spot in the top eight after they picked up wins last week.

The Raiders are two points behind eighth and a win ahead of Souths who would leapfrog them with victory on Sunday night given they have a superior for and against.

The Rabbitohs had to dig deep with several late tries to beat the Tigers. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

But Cook says there’s one key stat they must improve if they are to have any chance of sneaking into the finals, with games against the current top four teams on the horizon.

“That’s two weeks in a row where we haven’t been happy with our starts. That’s not going to be good enough with certain games coming up,” Cook said after he starred with the boot.

“We always knew the Tigers were going to be good and that they were going to come out flying after their past few weeks, so there are definitely a few things we need to improve.

“All we can do is keep winning and hope some other games go our way. Once you get to the finals, everyone knows that anyone can win it.”

Originally published as ‘It’ll be a weird feeling for him’: Jack Wighton heads back to Canberra for first time as Souths look to keep slim finals hopes alive