Jack Wighton facing up to a month on the sideline for shoulder charge as Rabbitohs move to bottom of the ladder

Bottom of the table and already scraping the bottom of the barrel for players, the Rabbitohs could lay down a huge gamble at the NRL judiciary in an attempted to salavage something from their season.

South Sydney will seek advice from legal gun Nick Ghabar before heading to the judiciary to fight the huge ban handed to star Jack Wighton by the match review committee on Sunday.

Coach Wayne Bennett’s depleted South Sydney outfit has suffered another blow with Wighton now facing up to a month on the sideline for a shoulder charge in Saturday night’s narrow 14-12 loss to Cronulla.

Wighton was hit with a grade two shoulder charge for a tackle on Cronulla forward Toby Rudolf early in the second half.

The playmaker is facing a three-week ban with an early plea, which will rule him out of clashes against Brisbane, Gold Coast and Parramatta.

Wighton can challenge the charge at the judiciary but will be rubbed out for a month if he is unsuccessful pleading his case.

Jack Wighton is facing some time on the sidelines. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly told this masthead the club would consider challenging the match review committee’s ruling.

“We’ll get some advice and consider whether we want to contest that charge. We will make a decision on Monday morning,” Solly said.

Wighton was sinbinned for the shot on Rudolf - who was ruled out of the game as a result of the head clash with Wighton during the tackle.

“Contact is head on head but it’s a shoulder charge with no attempt to wrap (your arms), you’re in the bin,” referee Belinda Sharpe said to Wighton.

Wighton’s shoulder made no contact with Rudolf’s head, the head clash was viewed as an aggravating factor by the match review committee.

Lawyer Nick Ghabar. Picture: Danny Aarons

While Wighton is now in hot water with the judiciary, the tackle and sin bin, generated plenty of discussion among pundits and fans, with many labelling the call ‘contentious’.

Fans were quick to point out that a similar tackling motion by Brisbane’s Reece Walsh, where he led with his shoulder, was ruled as legal by the video bunker on review on Friday night.

With Cody Walker (calf) and Jayden Sullivan (broken leg) out for the season, Bennett’s halves stocks are already running close to empty.

Halfback Jamie Humphreys missed the Sharks clash with concussion and will need to overcome delayed head knock symptoms to be cleared to take on the Broncos.

Wighton’s judiciary charge only compounds South Sydney’s injury woes with forward Tavita Tatola also facing a stint on the sidelines after he suffered a dislocated shoulder against the Sharks.

Tatola joins an already burgeoning casualty ward for the last-placed Rabbitohs that includes Walker, Sullivan, Latrell Mitchell, Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham.

For the Gold Coast Titans, Sean Mullany is facing a one week ban for a hip drop tackle on Warriors forward Demitric Vaimauga.

Mullany was charged with grade two dangerous contact, and was sinbinned for the tackle during Saturday’s clash.

MATCH REPORT

They might have collected the two points, but Cronulla finished Saturday night’s clash against Souths at Polytec Stadium in Gosford with more questions about their premiership chances than answers.

Entering the game in ninth on the ladder, the Sharks moved to seventh – for the night at least – but did little to inspire any confidence in their hopes of contending in September.

In a game that never reached any real heights, the Sharks bumbled their way to a 14-12 win against a brave Souths side missing backs Latrell Mitchell, Campbell Graham, Cody Walker and Jayden Sullivan, along with forwards Brandon Smith, Cameron Murray and Keaon Koloamatangi.

Granted, Souths were as resilient as anyone could ask in defence, but Cronulla looked clueless at times in attack, leaving coach Craig Fitzgibbon’s side with plenty to do over the regular season’s final six weeks where they have four of their last five games against teams sitting below them on the ladder. They have the bye in round 25.

Fitzgibbon said he knew Souths would arrive in Gosford with plenty to play for and was happy his team knuckled down for a fight but admitted they struggled in attack.

“We’re under no illusions as to the fact they were going to turn up,” Fitzgibbon said.

GOSFORD, AUSTRALIA – JULY 26: Nicholas Hynes of the Sharks passes the ball during the round 21 NRL match between Rabbitohs and Sharks at Industree Group Stadium, on July 26, 2025, in Gosford, Australia. (Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images)

“What we didn’t want was to be too loose and give them field position and let them get a sniff that we hadn’t turned up.

“I thought, out of the night our execution was miles off, but at least we did what the very thing that we needed to do was keep them out of the game by field position.

“I’d like to execute better as well. Like, I’m not going to shy away from the fact our attack was poor, our good ball attack was poor.”

The loss for Souths was their eighth in a row, the equal longest losing streak in the storeyed coaching career of master coach Wayne Bennett.

Another unwanted record for Bennett looms too.

Relegated to the bottom of the ladder following the loss and the Titans’ surprise win over the Warriors earlier on Saturday, the Rabbitohs are in line for the first wooden spoon in Bennett’s 38 seasons of NRL coaching.

Post match a surly Bennett refused to even discuss the wooden spoon when asked by reporters.

“I knew someone would ask that question and I’m not answering that,” Bennett said.

Bennett was however proud of his team’s effort.

“They couldn’t give much more than they gave. It was a very gutsy performance by us,” he said.

Referee Belinda Sharpe sends Jack Wighton to the sin bin for a contentious shoulder charge. Picture: Getty Images

Cronulla scored first via a penalty on nine minutes and Souths matched them after 20. An arm wrestle ensued, with the Rabbitohs valiant in defence against a massive territory deficit before they were rewarded via a Tyrone Munro try with seconds to go in the half.

Such was Cronulla’s domination of field position, they had a 33-3 red zone advantage in the first period, only to trail 6-2 at the break.

It didn’t take long for the Sharks to bounce back in the second stanza though, scoring through Ronaldo Mulitalo just three minutes into proceedings and when Souths’ skipper Jack Wighton was sent to the sin bin by referee Belinda Sharpe over a contentious shoulder charge call it looked like the floodgates might open.

But again, Souths hung tough in defence, repelling wave after wave of inept Cronulla attack until Wighton returned.

Eventually the NRL’s form player Blayke Brailey crossed to score what proved to be the matchwinner, despite a last minute converted try to Souths’ Tevita Tatola.

Adding to Souths’ woes, Tatola dislocated his shoulder in the act of scoring.

RUDOLPH STUNG

Sharks’ powerhouse Toby Rudolph ended the match on the bench after being adjudged to have suffered a category one head injury following the clash that saw Wighton sent to the bin.

It appeared the pair had clashed heads, along with the shoulder contact from Wighton.

The illegal act led to Cronulla’s 18th man Hohepa Puru entering the field shortly after Rudolph’s departure.

RECORD WATCH

Rabbitohs’ winger Alex Johnston began the game with a career tally of 207 tries, just five behind the legendary Ken Irvine’s all-time leading mark of 212 that has been the benchmark for five decades.

Sadly, Johnston had few chances tonight, rarely getting the ball in any sort of attacking position and never looking like he would add to his career total.

MUNRO’S NIGHTMARE

Rabbitohs winger Tyrone Munro had a night to forget, spilling no less than four high balls, including one that soon after led to Cronulla’s first try.

Despite crossing for the opening four pointer of the game, Munro struggled massively under an aerial assault that at one stage in the first half saw him moved to the centres in a swap with Isaiah Tass.

Munro moved back to the wing in the second half but still struggled.

Originally published as Jack Wighton facing up to a month on the sideline for shoulder charge as Rabbitohs move to bottom of the ladder