South Sydney coach not happy with scrutiny over contract for Jack Wighton

The questions being asked about South Sydney’s contract for star recruit Jack Wighton have not gone down well with the coach.

Rabbitohs head coach Jason Demetriou (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Jason Demetriou has described the criticism of Jack Wighton’s contract as a “circus”, with the Rabbitohs coach confident the NRL will find nothing wrong with the four-year deal that the club announced on Wednesday evening.

Wighton’s decision to join South Sydney in 2024 has been slammed by some people who have questioned the validity of such a deal that is worth considerably less than what the Raiders were willing to pay.

Canberra went so far as to formally lodge their $4.4 million contract offer with the NRL to show what they thought his market value was worth.

But it mattered little with the 2020 Dally M Medal winner choosing the Rabbitohs over the money because he thinks his best chance of winning a title is with a team that boasts superstars like Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Cam Murray.

Jack Wighton NRL PHOTOS

Wighton has stressed how much he loves the club that handed him his NRL debut back in 2012, but the deal has earned the ire of some critics who have questioned how Souths have been able to afford the World Cup winner.

“It‘s a circus with agenda-driven people saying things that they have no information about,” Demetriou said.

“The reality is we‘re comfortable with it, we’ll go to the NRL. Jack’s comfortable, it’s all above board so we’ve got no problems.”

The Raiders released a statement expressing how disappointed they were to see Wighton in a photoshopped image wearing a South Sydney jersey, especially when he has to play the rest of the season with the Green Machine.

It’s an issue that has plagued the game for too long with players able to sign contracts from November 1 onwards if they are in the final year of a contract.

The Rabbitohs went through it in 2021 when Adam Reynolds was seeking a contract extension but ended up signing with the Broncos because the club wouldn’t give him a lengthier deal.

That decision didn’t derail their season with the Rabbitohs reaching the grand final, and Demetriou is confident that Wighton and the Raiders can get along before the 30-year-old joins the Rabbitohs where he’ll play left centre.

“I understand that it‘s tough when a player’s having to do this in-season,” Demetriou said, sympathetic of what Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is going through.

Rabbitohs head coach Jason Demetriou (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

“That‘s not ideal, we went through it with Adam as well and he made the decision to go and he was outstanding for the rest of the year as I’m sure Jack will be.

“But everyone knows it‘s not ideal that players are signing contracts with this long to go before the season when they’re at their current clubs.

“I‘ve got no doubt that he’ll be ripping in for Ricky and the Raiders. Hopefully they can have a good season and Jack can leave on good terms.”

Originally published as South Sydney coach not happy with scrutiny over contract for Jack Wighton