Staggering twist shows Wighton gamble could decimate Rabbitohs

Extraordinary details have been revealed about South Sydney’s Jack Wighton raid — and the 14 players the club could lose.

Jack Wighton is on the way out by all reports. Picture: NRL Photos / Brett Costello

South Sydney appears to be going all-in on Jack Wighton.

The Rabbitohs have reportedly moved into the box seat to win the battle for the star playmaker’s signature, swooping in from nowhere to trump the Raiders and Dolphins.

It was first reported Wednesday night Wighton is expected to travel to Sydney on Friday to finalise a four-year deal with South Sydney.

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The deal is expected to be worth around $3.4m over four seasons — which is a million dollars less than the Raiders’ $4.4m offer which was lodged with the NRL.

The signature would add more firepower to an already powerful Rabbitohs side who have made the preliminary final stage in each of the last five seasons.

Wighton may be the missing piece to the premiership puzzle.

It looks like the club is prepared to risk losing several big-name players in order to make it happen.

The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio on Thursday told SEN Breakfast the Rabbitohs have 14 players without contracts beyond the 2024 season, including some big name players.

Among that group of un-signed players is Queensland State of Origin star Jai Arrow, boom centre Campbell Graham and gun forwards Tevita Tatola and Keaon Koloamatangi.

Panthers great Greg Alexander said on the radio show a number of the star players yet to re-sign with the club would also be in a position to command a pay rise.

Jack Wighton. Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images.

“They’ve improved enough to be very well paid,” Alexander said.

“And if Souths can’t pay them there would be other clubs willing to pay a fair bit of money.”

He said South Sydney needs to keep “all of them”.

“If Jack Wighton comes in and they then lose another two or three key men, you don’t win a comp,” he said.

Riccio said he would not be surprised if superstars Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Damien Cook had privately had conversations about taking pay cuts in order to squeeze Wighton’s deal under the cap.

Wighton is going to have to take a massive pay cut to join the club regardless.

Fox League’s James Hooper said on Wednesday Mitchell was the person who alerted coach Jason Demetriou of Wighton’s interest in joining the club.

The report claims the friendship between Wighton and Mitchell is one of the biggest drawcards the club has to lure Wighton to the club.

A $1m sacrifice would also see Wighton shift positions to the centres as Walker currently has a stranglehold on the Rabbitohs’ No. 6 jersey.

Jack Wighton and Latrell Mitchell is a scary proposition.

Speaking earlier on Wednesday, Demetriou didn’t deny the interest in the 30-year-old.

“I love Jack and I know he’s got a lot of good friends in the club through rep footy,” Demetriou said.

“We’d love to have him here if there was an opportunity to get him here, but we’re pretty full on the salary cap as well.

“He’s a fantastic footballer, there’ll be a host of clubs interested. We’ll just see how it plays out.”

He also claimed the signing may be difficult because of the salary cap restrictions.

“We’ll get all the big earners and see what they’re willing to do,” Demetriou joked.

“If Cookie’s (Damien Cook) willing to take a pay cut there’s probably something we can sit down and have a chat about.”

Earlier in the week, Wighton retired from representative football and said he’d like to have his future sorted in the next few weeks.

It comes after Wighton reportedly already rejected the Raiders’ $4.4m four-year deal, essentially signalling an end to his time in Canberra.