Wighton out to sew up place on the wing ONE of those headaches every coach loves to have will soon confront Canberra mentor David Furner.
Young gun Jack Wighton has another three weeks to convince Furner he should be retained in the Raiders side before winger Reece Robinson returns from injury.
After an eye-catching debut in the Raiders' 24-12 win against Gold Coast last weekend, Wighton can further stake his claim for a permanent berth with another strong performance in Sunday's match with the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Wighton is predominantly a centre or five-eighth, but showed at Skilled Park he is equally adept at flying high for bombs and defending on the flank.
Raiders centre Jarrod Croker said he wasn't surprised by the 19-year-old's smooth adjustment to the NRL.
''As soon as he was picked in the side I knew he'd be sweet,'' Croker said. ''He killed it in the trials … so I knew he'd fit right in like he did on Saturday. If he keeps putting up performances like that though, he's going to be keeping people on their toes in the first-grade side.''
Wighton is under contract with the Raiders until the end of next year and is certain to get plenty of interest if he tests his worth on the open market.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said Canberra fought off interest from other clubs to secure the Orange product and hoped he would be a long-term prospect in the mould of Josh Dugan and Croker.
''Not immediately, but certainly we'll look at next year,'' Furner said about extending Wighton's contract.
''That's what we've done with all the young guys when they've come through, the same with Josh Dugan and Jarrod Croker and all those young guys that … got pushed into first grade quicker because of injuries.
''We changed our strategy a couple of years ago to make sure we got the best country kids.''
Wighton's opportunity came after Robinson fractured his cheekbone in the last minute of the club's opening round loss to Melbourne.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
Topic: Wighton out to secure place on the wing
