Paul Crawley: Canberra can exact revenge on South Sydney without involving the NRL

Instead of sulking over Jack Wighton’s defection, Paul Crawley says Canberra should use the flawed NRL system to get payback on South Sydney.

The Raiders should chase big-name South Sydney stars. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty

Now is not the time for the Canberra Raiders to get angry with Jack Wighton or South Sydney, and carry on like the jilted lover who has been cheated on.

Instead, they should give Jack a big hug and adapt to the theory that you don’t get mad, you get even.

And the Raiders should start by immediately targeting off contract Rabbitohs stars Keaon Koloamatangi and Campbell Graham.

But the fight to get the NRL to investigate the Rabbitohs’ contract offered to Wighton is just a complete waste of energy.

We all know it will ultimately amount to nothing.

So why spend any more time worrying about it?

If the NRL wants to continue to run a salary cap system that has no transparency and that fans lost faith in long ago, let that be their problem.

The same goes with the current player trade system that allows this circus to cause disruption at clubs year after year.

The Raiders should chase big-name South Sydney stars. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty

Everyone knows the NRL should have brought in an end-of-season trade period long ago.

But the governing body is obviously too scared to take on the Rugby League Players Association and the agents over it.

So it just continues to fester like a bad wound.

But if that’s how the NRL want it to play out, leave it to them to deal with the backlash from fans.

Instead the Raiders should now use the system to their advantage.

I’m sure there will be plenty of players willing to take the $1.1 million a season they were willing to pay Wighton.

But at the top of the Raiders’ hit list should be Koloamatangi and Graham.

With both players off contract at the end of 2024, what that means is that they are not only free to sign with a rival club from November 1 this year, but they can also receive offers right now.

Campbell Graham and Keaon Koloamatangi are both off contract at the end of 2024.

So that’s exactly what the Raiders should do, go after them and go hard.

Koloamatangi is currently on about $500,000 a season compared to the reported $800,000 Wighton will be paid next season.

Given the Raiders recently missed out on signing David Fifita who was offered upwards of $900,000 a season, use that money to try and entice Koloamatangi.

Graham is also significantly under paid on about $600,000.

If he’s not worth $800,000 on the open market the Rabbitohs are now paying Wighton, Graham’s selling himself short.

Who knows, neither player might not want to move to Canberra.

But you can at least make them aware of what their real market value is.

And it will be the Rabbitohs who are next in line to deal with a trade/salary cap system that should have been fixed long ago.

Originally published as Paul Crawley: Canberra can exact revenge on South Sydney without involving the NRL