Ricky Stuart has confirmed the Raiders - at both the playing group and administrative level - are doing everything in their power to retain Jack Wighton.
Wighton has revealed he will test the free agency market before deciding where to sign with his next - and possibly final - NRL deal.
At 30 years of age, it's reported the Raiders have offered him a four-year deal worth more than $1 million per season which would round out his career.
Given Wighton is a one-club player to this point of his career, it will take an extremely enticing deal to rip him away from the Raiders, although it's clear his goal before hanging up the boots is to win a premiership.
Stuart told the press conference after the Raiders' surprise win over the Brisbane Broncos on Saturday night that Wighton has a special relationship with plenty of personnel at the club, and that the Raiders don't want to lose the star five-eighth, who played for both the New South Wales Blues and Australian Kangaroos last year at the representative level.
"We are doing everything we possibly can to keep Jack. Jarrod [Croker] and myself, so many players have a very special relationship as a squad of players," Stuart said.
"I have a very special relationship with Jack from a coaching point of view. We are doing everything we can to keep Jack. We want to keep Jack. He is a Raider. But to answer your question honestly, I don't want to lose Jack Wighton the way we lost [Anthony] Milford to the Broncos as a player years and years ago."
It's understood the Dolphins and Parramatta Eels have been linked to Wighton, as have the Wests Tigers.
Both Tim Sheens and Brad Arthur have moved to distance their respective clubs from any potential move for Wighton, while Wayne Bennett has admitted the Dolphins will weigh up their options.
"Yes, 100 per cent," Stuart said when asked if the Dolphins were the biggest threat.
"We have an offer on the table, so it's up to Jack and his management now."
Wighton's management have claimed they are in no rush for the deal to be done, and don't want things to play out in the media, so the wait for Wighton to confirm his future could be a long one.
The star five-eighth, who has over 200 NRL games under his belt, will return from suspension next weekend against the St George Illawarra Dragons in the nation's capital as the green machine search for their third win of the year.
