Canberra Raiders stand by Jack Wighton despite move to South Sydney Rabbitohs

Jack Wighton has spurned multi-million dollar offers from the Raiders and Dolphins to link with the Rabbitohs from 2024, sacrificing a ballpark figure of $1 million over four years to chase a title with close friend Latrell Mitchell.

But the Raiders will back Wighton to fuel their own finals campaign despite a looming move to South Sydney, which is supposedly designed to give him a better chance at premiership glory.

Raiders bosses have demanded an NRL investigation into Wighton's deal with the Rabbitohs, which can now begin after South Sydney unveiled the four-year contract on Wednesday evening.

The 30-year-old World Cup winner could have commanded $1.1 million per season at five-eighth for the Raiders, but is expected to earn about $800,000 per year to play centre for the Rabbitohs.

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There are fears the Raiders could struggle to attract marquee names to Canberra to fill the void left by Wighton - but more sinister are concerns rival clubs are able to lure players into their ranks via more third-party deals.

Third-party agreements are payments made by companies directly to players, with no restriction on the amount a player can earn when being paid for his own intellectual property, without the need to employ club logos or names.

Such deals are not included in the salary cap, but Raiders officials are content knowing they have money to spend in the search for a new big name after Wighton and David Fifita knocked back deals worth a collective $2 million per season.

Canberra officials are confident the Raiders have enjoyed the better of Wighton's career as he prepares to link up with South Sydney at their new $26 million centre of excellence at Heffron Park next season.

Now they have shot down the idea the club struggles to attract good players, pointing to a grand final and two preliminary final appearances in the past seven seasons as proof of the talent the Raiders have had at their disposal.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will back Wighton to brush aside the intrigue surrounding his future to bolster Canberra's own campaign in his final season in the capital.

The 30-year-old has been named at five-eighth for the Raiders to face Wayne Bennett's Dolphins in Wagga Wagga on Saturday afternoon, ensuring his name will remain in the headlines for days to come as the clubs who missed his signature collide with Wighton at the centre of the action.

Wighton will be joined in Canberra's back line against the Dolphins by Jordan Rapana, who returns from the head cut he suffered against Brisbane, slotting in on the wing for Nick Cotric after he was ruled out with an aggravated hamstring injury.

Fullback Xavier Savage joins Canberra's extended reserves as they look to force their way into the top eight after a slow start.

The Raiders are still in finals contention this year, sitting two points outside the top eight after eight rounds after reigniting their season with back-to-back wins.

Stuart is likely to continue to pick Wighton to give Canberra their best chance of success this season.

Yet the dialogue in some quarters surrounding Wighton's place in the team could ramp up if the Raiders slide down the ladder, with Brad Schneider the man most likely to partner Jamal Fogarty in Canberra's halves next year should the club look to promote from within.

Schneider and Matt Frawley are both off contract at the end of the season and the playmaking stocks on the open market are thin.

The money could then be spent on bolstering Canberra's stocks in another position amid concern their premiership window is closing.

Raiders prop Joe Tapine said as much on the eve of the new season, given Wighton and Josh Papali'i are both 30 years old, while Elliott Whitehead and Jordan Rapana, at 33, are closer to the sunset than they are a new dawn.

The Rabbitohs will play Brisbane on Friday night, with plenty of intrigue surrounding their own line-up as they prepare to make way for Wighton next year. There is speculation Isaiah Tass could shift to a wing, giving the club a lethal centre pairing of Wighton and Campbell Graham.

South Sydney hooker Damien Cook said Wighton opting to join to give himself the best chance of winning a premiership was a vote of confidence in the club.

"(We could) move a few boys around the back line there, which is obviously a hard one at the moment too, because both our centres [Tass and Graham] are playing really good football," he told Sky Radio.

"We all believe we can win the comp ... for him to pick us and say that's where he thinks is his best chance, knowing a lot of clubs would have been after him, that's a massive hit of confidence for us as a team."

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