Jack Wighton to captain Canberra Raiders this weekend after Elliott Whitehead’s horror injury

Elliott Whitehead suffered a freak injury at training during the week, forcing the Raiders to name a new captain. WARNING: Graphic

Stuart has been forced to name a new captain. Image: Getty/Twitter

Jack Wighton will captain the Canberra Raiders for the first time when they meet the Penrith Panthers on Sunday.

Wighton replaces Elliott Whitehead, who is missing the round seven game after clashing heads with teammate Ata Mariota at training and suffering a freak facial injury.

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“They had a head clash and it was a very nasty gash that damaged (Whitehead’s) upper gum and teeth,” coach Ricky Stuart explained.

“Elliott, being Elliott, wanted to play but I couldn’t do it to him. He needs to have a bit of a rest.”

⚠️ Warning GRAPHIC ⚠️

One of the more traumatic facial injuries we’ve seen in the NRL in recent times, all from an incident at training. Understandably Elliott Whitehead is having the week off pic.twitter.com/ff5ihM5FNp

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) April 21, 2022

Already a State of Origin player and Dally M Medallist, Wighton was told on Thursday he could add “captain” to his CV come Sunday afternoon.

The Raiders unveiled him as stand-in captain on Friday morning.

“He’ll be a great captain, Jack,” Stuart said. “It’s a very prestigious position for the club, to captain the team. I know he’s very proud of it.

“He spoke to the players and mentioned how honoured and privileged he was to be able to lead them out.”

Wighton will captain the Raiders for the first time. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Stuart said Wighton’s temporary appointment to the captaincy was a credit to his progress.

“He’s done a great job in his maturity and development in leadership,” he said.

“A number of our younger players turning into our senior players such as Jack, Joe Tapine … they’ve really matured and had some growth there in regards to their abilities.”

After coughing up a 12-0 lead and losing to the Cowboys at home last week, Stuart swung the axe through his backline.

The coach has dropped Sebastian Kris and benched fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in favour of Jordan Rapana.

“After that performance and the way we’ve been losing games, I had to make some changes,” Stuart said.

Stuart was very disappointed with the Raiders last weekend. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

The Raiders can’t afford to fall asleep at the wheel again when they meet the reigning premiers at BlueBet Stadium.

“We’ve got to play 80 minutes of football,” Stuart said.

“It’s a choice. Players, coaches have all got an obligation to do the best that they can in regards to their job. That’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve all got to be at our best on the weekend.”