Jack Wighton
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jack Wighton (born 4 February 1993) is an
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...
professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who plays as a for the
Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
in the
NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
at international level. He has played at representative level for the Indigenous All Stars,
Country Origin The Country New South Wales rugby league team is a representative rugby league football team. Between 1987 and 2017 there were two tiers: the Origin team that consisted of professional players who originated from clubs of the Country Rugby Leagu ...
,
Prime Minister's XIII Prime Minister's XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM's XIII, is the name of a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose tea ...
, and
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
in the
State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons. Referred to as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”, the ...
. Wighton won the Dally M Medal in 2020 playing but played as a and er earlier in his career.


Background

Wighton was born in
Orange, New South Wales Orange is a city in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney on a great circle at an altitude of . Orange had an estimated urban population of 40,493 Estimated resident population, 3 ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. He is
Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...
on his mother's side, his family are from Peak Hill (Bulgandramine Mission) and Wellington, New South Wales. Jack is related to
Brent Naden Brent Naden (born 30 December 1995) is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and er for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. Naden previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, and the Penrith Panthe ...
,
Willie Tonga Villiami Sione "Willie" Tonga (born 8 August 1983), also known by the nickname of "Little Willie", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Leigh Centurions in the Super League. An Australia internat ...
and Rabbitohs player
Latrell Mitchell Latrell Mitchell (''né'' Goolagong; born 16 June 1997) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL, and has represented both New South Wales in the State of Origin series and ...
(Mitchell's 3 x Great Grandmother Josephine Wighton and Jack Wighton's 3 x Great Grandfather Ernest Wighton are brother and sister). Wighton played his junior football for Orange CYMS and Bloomfield Tigers before being signed by the
Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...
. He played for the Werribee Centrals Football Club reserves sides. Wighton left his job as a brickie's labourer to pursue a career in football.


Playing career


Early career

Wighton has represented NSW Under 18s and Australian Schoolboys in 2010. Wighton played for the Raiders
NYC New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
team in 2011 before being promoted to the Raiders full-time NRL squad.


2012

In Round 2 of the
2012 NRL season The 2012 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the first run by the newly formed Australian Rugby League Commission. The main competition, called the 2012 NRL Telstra Premiership due to spon ...
, Wighton made his
NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
debut for the Canberra Raiders against the
Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...
, having an impressive debut match on the in the Raiders 24–12 win at
Robina Stadium Robina Stadium, also known by its sponsored name Cbus Super Stadium, is a rectangular football stadium in the Gold Coast suburb of Robina, Queensland. The main usage is as the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans; th ...
. In round 6, against the
New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...
, Wighton scored his first NRL try in the Raiders 32–12 win at
Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports v ...
. On 30 May 2012, Wighton suffered a toe injury in a freak trampoline accident which resulted in him missing most of the year, until he made a return in the semi-final match against the
South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen pla ...
in the Raiders 38–16 loss at
ANZ Stadium ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand ...
. On 22 August 2012, Wighton extended his contract with the Raiders until the end of the 2014 season. Wighton finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 9 matches and scoring 2 tries for the Raiders in the
2012 NRL season The 2012 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the first run by the newly formed Australian Rugby League Commission. The main competition, called the 2012 NRL Telstra Premiership due to spon ...
.


2013

On 9 February 2013, Wighton was selected to play for the Indigenous All Stars off the interchange bench in the 32–6 win over the
NRL All Stars team The NRL All Stars team was a rugby league football team made up of professional players in the National Rugby League. These players were selected by fan vote. However, fans were only allowed to select one player from each NRL team to join the Aus ...
at
Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...
. Wighton was also selected to play for NSW Country at centre against NSW City in Country's 18–12 win in
Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...
. Wighton finished the
2013 NRL season The 2013 NRL season was the 106th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia. The National Rugby League's main competition, named the 2013 Telstra Premiership after major sponsors Telstra Corporation, was contested by sixte ...
with him playing in 18 matches and scoring 4 tries for the Raiders. On 1 November 2013 Wighton re-signed with the Raiders until the end of 2016.


2014

Wighton started the season playing at five-eighth by incoming Raider coach
Ricky Stuart Ricky John Stuart (born 7 January 1967) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and a former rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He ...
. On 4 May 2014, Wighton played at centre for NSW Country against NSW City in the 26-26 all draw. In Round 10 against the
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...
, Wighton returned to his preferred centre position in the Raiders 26–20 loss at
Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports v ...
. Wighton played at centre until Round 24, when he was selected to play at fullback for a clash with the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...
. He had a successful match, helping the Raiders to a 22–12 win at
Shark Park Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a Chondrichthyes#Skeleton, cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified with ...
. Wighton had a successful end of the season at fullback for the Raiders. Wighton finished the
2014 NRL season The 2014 NRL season was the 107th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 17th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand, for the Auckland Nines, replacing the Rugby Leagu ...
having played in 20 matches and scored 6 tries. On 9 September 2014, Wighton was selected in the Australia Kangaroos 2014 Four Nations train-on squad but didn't make the final 24-man squad.


2015

On 13 February 2015, Wighton was selected on the interchange bench for the Indigenous All Stars in the
2015 All Stars match The 2015 All Stars Match was the fifth annual representative exhibition match played between the Indigenous All Stars and the NRL All Stars. It was held on 13 February 2015, returning from a one-year hiatus. The Indigenous side was selected t ...
. The Indigenous side won 20–6 over the NRL All Stars at
Robina Stadium Robina Stadium, also known by its sponsored name Cbus Super Stadium, is a rectangular football stadium in the Gold Coast suburb of Robina, Queensland. The main usage is as the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans; th ...
. On 3 May 2015, Wighton played for New South Wales Country against New South Wales City in the 2015
City vs Country Origin City vs Country Origin was an annual Australian rugby league football match that took place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represented the Sydney metropolitan area. While technically it was Sydne ...
match, playing at centre and scoring a try in Country's 34–22 win at
Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...
. In Round 25 against the
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...
, Wighton was charged with a grade two careless high tackle after he blindsided Panthers halfback
Jamie Soward Jamie Soward (born 13 November 1984) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. A New South Wales State of Origin and Indigenous All-Stars representative , he previously played for the Sydney Roosters, Penrith Panthers and ...
, following a break downfield. The hit left Soward unconscious and he had to be assisted off the field on a stretcher during the Raiders 34–18 win at
Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports v ...
. He was later suspended for a match, missing out in the Raiders last match of the season. Wighton finished the
2015 NRL season The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followed ...
having played in 20 matches and scoring 7 tries for the Raiders. On 26 September 2015, Wighton played for the
Prime Minister's XIII Prime Minister's XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM's XIII, is the name of a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose tea ...
against
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
, scoring a try in the 40–12 win in Port Moresby.


2016

On 13 January 2016, Wighton was named in the emerging New South Wales Blues squad. On 13 February 2016, Wighton played for the Indigenous All Stars against the World All Stars, playing off the interchange bench in the 12–8 loss at Suncorp Stadium. On 8 May 2016, Wighton played for Country Origin against City Origin, where he played at fullback in the 44–30 loss in Tamworth. On 8 September 2016, Wighton was very lucky to escape a 3-week suspension for a shoulder charge in which he did on
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...
player Joel Edwards in Round 26 in the 52-10 thumping win at
Leichhardt Oval Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney S ...
. The suspension could have ruled out Wighton from all the Raiders 3 finals matches and ended his season early. Wighton finished the
2016 NRL season The 2016 NRL season was the 109th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 19th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, w ...
with him playing 26 matches and scoring 8 tries for the Raiders.


2017

On 10 February 2017, Wighton played for the Indigenous All Stars against the
World All Stars The NRL All Stars team was a rugby league football team made up of professional players in the National Rugby League. These players were selected by fan vote. However, fans were only allowed to select one player from each NRL team to join the Aus ...
in the 2017 All Stars match, starting at fullback in the 34–8 win at
Hunter Stadium Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights (National Rugby League) and Newca ...
. In Round 7 against the
New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...
, Wighton played his 100th NRL career match in the 20–8 win at
Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports v ...
. On 23 May 2017, Wighton extended his contract with the Raiders to the end of the 2020 season. Wighton finished the
2017 NRL season The 2017 NRL season was the 110th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 20th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, w ...
with him playing in 23 matches and scoring 7 tries for the Raiders.


2018

On 28 June 2018, Wighton was stood down by Canberra after admitting in court to assault and urinating in public during a Canberra night out earlier in the year. On 9 July, Wighton was suspended by Canberra for six matches but elected not to terminate his contract regardless of the outcome of the court case hearing. On 13 July, The NRL who were unhappy with the suspension Canberra handed down to Wighton, increased his suspension to ten matches, which put him out for the rest of the season, plus a monetary fine of $30,000. Wighton ultimately avoided jail time. He finished the
2018 NRL season The 2018 NRL season was the 111th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League. The main competition, known as the 2018 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, featured 16 team ...
having playing in 13 matches and scoring 3 tries.


2019

In round 5 of the
2019 NRL season The 2019 NRL season was the 112th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 22nd season run by the National Rugby League. The Sydney Roosters became the first team to win back-to-back Premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 ...
against the
Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...
, Wighton scored a try from a Sam Williams cross field kick in the 61st Minute to seal Canberra's fourth win of the season whilst also solidifying Wighton's position as five-eighth of the side. On 5 June, Wighton made his State of Origin debut off the bench for New South Wales in game 1 of the
2019 State of Origin series The 2019 State of Origin series was the 38th annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland had won 21 times, NSW 14 times, with two series drawn. For just the second t ...
at
Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...
. In the 56th minute, Wighton was interchanged for Cody Walker at five-eighth, he then went on to throw an intercept pass for
Dane Gagai Dane Gagai () (born 3 January 1991) is a professional rugby league footballer and boxer who plays as a and er for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League, NRL. He has played for Australia national rugby league team, Australia and th ...
to run the length of the field and score in the 67th minute of the game. New South Wales would go on to lose the game 18–14. On 16 June, Wighton was a shock selection at centre replacing
Latrell Mitchell Latrell Mitchell (''né'' Goolagong; born 16 June 1997) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL, and has represented both New South Wales in the State of Origin series and ...
for New South Wales for game 2 in Perth. New South Wales went on to win the game 2 38–6. On 10 July, Wighton was part of the Origin decider for New South Wales at left centre in which New South Wales won 26–20 at
ANZ Stadium ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand ...
. In round 22, Wighton played his 150th NRL game for Canberra in their 18–22 win over the
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
at
AAMI park The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the Melbourne central business district. When completed ...
. Wighton made a total of 26 appearances for Canberra as the club reached their first grand final in 25 years. In the
2019 NRL Grand Final The 2019 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2019 National Rugby League season and was played at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The match was contested between defending premiers the Sydney Roosters and the Canberra Ra ...
against the
Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...
, Wighton scored a try in the first half. Canberra would go on to lose the final 14–8 at
ANZ Stadium ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand ...
. Wighton was awarded the
Clive Churchill Medal The Clive Churchill Medal is the award given to the player judged to be man-of-the-match in the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian ...
after being voted man of the match, making him the fourth man to achieve this from a losing side, joining Canberra's
Bradley Clyde Bradley Clyde (born 27 January 1970) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s who, at the peak of his playing career was widely acknowledged as the best in the game. He represented b ...
(1991), St George's
Brad Mackay Brad Mackay (born 1969 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. A versatile for the St George Dragons, Illawarra Steelers, Western Reds and the joint-venture of St. George ...
(1993) and Manly's
Daly Cherry-Evans Daly Cherry-Evans (born 20 February 1989) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the NRL and Australia at international level. He captains Manly and won the 2011 NRL Grand F ...
(2013). On 7 October, Wighton was named in the Australian side for the upcoming
Oceania Cup The Oceania Cup is an international men's field hockey competition organised by Oceania Hockey Federation (OHF). It is held every two years to determine which teams will receive an automatic berth to the Men's FIH Hockey World Cup and Summer Olymp ...
fixtures.


2020

In round 16 of the
2020 NRL season The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year. ; Notes : : : Pre-season ...
, Wighton scored two tries in a 34–20 victory over Canterbury-Bankstown at
GIO Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports ven ...
. In round 18 against St. George, he scored two tries in a 37–8 victory for Canberra at
WIN Stadium Wollongong Showground, known as WIN Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Wollongong, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawa ...
. Wighton was rewarded for a stellar home and away season by being named joint Meninga Medal winner with
Josh Papalii Josh Papali'i (born 13 May 1992) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for both Australia and Samoa at international level. He has played at repres ...
, having finished on atop the voting for the club's player of the year award at a subdued in-house ceremony. Wighton also took home the Dally M Medal as the NRL's player of the year after polling 26 votes to edge out
Clint Gutherson Clinton Gutherson (born 9 September 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL. He previously played for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League, ...
and
Nathan Cleary Nathan Cleary (born 14 November 1997) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a the Penrith Panthers in the NRL and Australia at international level. He won both the 2021 and the 2022 NRL Grand Finals with the Panth ...
. There was controversy around the announcement after the Daily Telegraph published the results hours before the ceremony took place. Wighton was selected for the
2020 State of Origin series The 2020 State of Origin series was the 39th annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland has won 21 times, NSW 15 times, with two series drawn. Originally, the series ...
but was played out of position in the centres by New South Wales coach
Brad Fittler Bradley Scott Fittler (born 5 February 1972), also known by the nickname of "Freddy", is the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, a commentator and a television presenter. Fittler has previously coached the Sydney Roosters in ...
. Wighton played in all three games for New South Wales as they suffered a shock 2–1 defeat against Queensland.


2021

In round 10 of the
2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...
, Wighton was sent to the sin bin after using an illegal cannonball tackle on Canterbury player Adam Elliott during the club's 20-18 victory. On 30 May, Wighton was selected by New South Wales for game one of the
2021 State of Origin series The 2021 State of Origin series was the 40th annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland has won 22 times, NSW 15 times, with two series drawn. The venue for Game 1 wa ...
despite his poor form at club level for Canberra. Wighton played 21 games for Canberra in the
2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...
which saw the club finish a disappointing 10th place on the table.


2022

On 29 May, Wighton was selected by New South Wales to play in game one of the
2022 State of Origin series The 2022 State of Origin series was the 41st annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland had won 22 times, NSW 16 times, with two series drawn. Game I Game One was a ...
. In October, he was named in the Australia squad for the
2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received £2 ...
. Wighton played for Australia in their 2021 Rugby League World Cup final victory over Samoa.


Assault charges

In February 2018, while celebrating his birthday in Canberra, Wighton assaulted five people outside a nightclub and faced a number of charges including assault and public urination. He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, but after prosecutors said they were prepared to produce CCTV evidence, changed his mind. In June, Wighton pleaded guilty to six charges in the ACT Magistrates Court, including assault and public urination, while prosecutors dropped several of the other charges. In July, Wighton was suspended by Raiders for six matches but they confirmed he would keep his job. After viewing the CCTV footage, the NRL extended his suspension until the end of the season, and fined him $30,000. On 14 November, Wighton avoided jail time and was given a suspended two-month sentence and a $3,500 fine. Magistrate
Bernadette Boss Bernadette Carmel Boss, is a Magistrate of the Australian Capital Territory, an officer in the Australian Army Reserve and a former barrister. She was appointed as a magistrate on 11 June 2012. In her military career, Boss was the first woman ...
noted his positive character references, and existing punishment from the NRL. Following sentencing, the footage of Wighton in urine-soaked trousers launching unprovoked attacks on five different passers-by was released to the media.


References


External links


Canberra Raiders profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wighton, Jack 1993 births Living people Australia national rugby league team players Australian rugby league players Canberra Raiders players Clive Churchill Medal winners Country New South Wales Origin rugby league team players Indigenous All Stars players Indigenous Australian rugby league players Junior Kangaroos players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Prime Minister's XIII players Rugby league centres Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league players from Orange, New South Wales Wiradjuri