$3 million boost: Why Canberra Raiders star turned back on NRL rivals
Jack Wighton has signed a monster long-term deal to remain in Canberra, but two key Raiders remain unsigned beyond 2020 as the club tries to keep their grand final nucleus intact.
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He went home with the Clive Churchill Medal for his courageous performance in Canberra’s heartbreaking grand final defeat last year.
Now star five-eighth Jack Wighton has turned his back on the chance to earn more money elsewhere so he can go one better “and win a premiership with the Raiders”.
The Raiders on Wednesday confirmed The Daily Telegraph story tha just days after celebrating his 27th birthday, Wighton had signed a four-year deal with Canberra, worth more than $3 million.
It is a huge boost for the Raiders, who are also in negotiations with co-captain Jarrod Croker and Nick Cotric to keep them away from interested rivals, given the pair are off contract at the end of this season.
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The Raiders’ players realise that their premiership window is now officially open and there is a real energy and commitment among the group not to let this opportunity slip like they did in 2017.
“I want to win a competition with the Raiders,” Wighton said in a statement.
“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.”
Canberra have a good opportunity to start the season with a bang, with games against Gold Coast, the Warriors and St George Illawarra over the opening three rounds.
But they will be extremely mindful how important it is to get off to a good start given how their season fell away back in 2017 after losing three of their first four games despite finishing second in 2016.
“Jack has been with the club since he was a junior and this deal will see him become a 10-year player at first grade level, which in this era is a significant achievement,” Raiders chief executive Don Furner said.
“It’s also worth noting that during the negotiations Jack’s decision to re-sign was based mainly on future success, which shows the belief he has in the club moving forward.
“Jack could have earnt more money by signing with another club but sacrificed that against what we have here in Canberra. He took much less money to stay and that says a lot about Jack and his stability here.”
Wighton’s agent Matt Rose told The Daily Telegraph that despite genuine outside interest his client had no intention of leaving the club that has been his home for a decade now.
Rose had been in discussions with the Raiders to sign off on the deal before the Nines tournament.
Rose said from the very first negotiations Wighton has shown no desire to leave and the Raiders have been equally committed.
Wighton really came of age in 2019.
After shifting from fullback to five-eighth, Wighton was elevated into the NSW and Australian Test teams playing centre, while his overall performances for the Raiders highlighted that he is now one of the competition’s genuine stars.
“Jack had considerable opportunity to earn more but has chosen to take less to try and win a premiership with the Raiders,” Rose said, adding they completed the deal, having sorted through “all the logistical stuff.”
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Wighton’s ongoing commitment couldn’t come at a better time after what has been a tough couple of weeks for everyone at the club in dealing with the drama surrounding new buy Curtis Scott.
While Scott has pleaded not guilty to all six charges relating to his Australia Day arrest, there is no doubt it still has the potential to severely impact Canberra’s start to the season if Scott is ultimately rubbed out for any period of time.
The incident happened on the same weekend the Raiders let Joey Leilua go to Wests Tigers while Jordan Rapana is the other big loss after his switch to Japanese rugby.
The Raiders have also suffered another significant setback with star backrower John Bateman undergoing shoulder surgery and the Englishman is also in doubt for the start of the season.
While the best-case scenario is that Bateman could be ready for the opening round, it is feared he is more likely to miss several weeks.