Wighton on facing the Knights for Round 19 Clash
Jack Wighton has confirmed he'll wear a protective cast for the remainder of his playing days after successfully navigating his first game back from a broken arm, with the centre declaring himself ready to put it on the line again against Newcastle this weekend.
Cast Here to Stay
The protective cast that shielded Jack Wighton's surgically repaired arm in last week's clash is now a permanent fixture for the South Sydney centre. With a plate inserted during surgery, the hardware will remain with him throughout his career.
"I think it stays with me now because I've got a plate in my arm, the cast is for the rest of my career," Wighton said.
Handling Errors Cost the Team
Reflecting on last week's performance, Wighton was blunt about where South Sydney let themselves down. The team's completion rate in the first half proved costly, with three consecutive sets marred by errors that compounded into fatigue and put the Rabbitohs on the back foot.
"We really let ourselves down with handling errors, handling was in the first half, it was three sets in a row that compounded into us being fatigued and you can't do that stuff," he said.
Looking ahead to Newcastle, Wighton acknowledged the Knights possess unbelievable talent in their backline and a strong forward pack. However, he emphasised the need for South Sydney to focus internally on the controllable factors, particularly their handling and completion rates, rather than getting caught up worrying about the opposition's strengths.
Support for Jai Arrow's Milestone
Wighton was full of praise for the rugby league community's response to Jai Arrow's 150th game celebration this weekend, describing the outpouring of support as something to be proud of. Arrow surprised his teammates by announcing his recent marriage in the group chat, news that had all the players over the moon to see him smiling with his wife and young daughter.
The world's biggest birthday party at this Sunday's match will attempt to break a world record for party hats, with organisers needing to surpass 1,900 people. "There's been kids' videos doing arrow for him from five years old and stuff like that, even in my son's game on the weekend, just seeing everybody get behind it for such a good bloke, it just shows what the footy community's about," Wighton said.
Young Talent Stepping Up
With key players unavailable, Wighton has been impressed by the emerging talent in the South Sydney squad. Playing inside Dayne Jennings on his starting debut, the experienced centre had a front-row seat to watch the youngster score a try and take on significant challenges without shying away.
"He's a great young talent, it's all about what he does next and I think he's got that in him. He's keen on learning, he's got a real flair about him, he didn't shy away from any challenges," Wighton said of Jennings.
The centre also noted that last year's injury crisis had an unexpected benefit, with multiple players stepping up and putting their hand up for various positions. This depth means South Sydney now has three or four options in the running for the five-eighth spot this weekend. Wighton joked that coach Wayne Bennett hates him at five-eighth, so he's got no chance of filling in there himself.
