The Canberra Raiders have reportedly lodged a formal complaint with the NRL over the South Sydney Rabbitohs' signing of Jack Wighton.
Reported on Tuesday afternoon, it was revealed that Wighton has signed a four-year deal with the Redfern-based club, commencing at the start of the 2024 season.
It comes after a brief negotiation period which saw the Rabbitohs and Dolphins come to the party, squaring off against the Raiders for Wighton's services over the next four years.
Despite having the least financial incentive of all the deals - a reported $200,000 per season less than Wighton could have received at Redcliffe or in the nation's capital - he elected to link up with Jason Demetriou's side.
While the deal is not yet official, News Corp is reporting that the Raiders have wasted little to no time in jumping on the front foot over the deal, lodging a formal complaint with the NRL that will ask for the competition authoritative to launch an investigation into the signing.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo confirmed Wighton's market value would be tested when the contract is reviewed, although confirmed no official paperwork has been received from the Rabbitohs yet, meaning an official announcement of the deal between Wighton and South Sydney could be a way off.
“The salary cap auditor will review the contract and test market value,” he said.
“We haven't received anything yet (from South Sydney).”
The report suggests the Raiders have taken steps to provide the NRL with exact details of their proposal to Wighton to ensure the Rabbitohs' deal is of comparable value.
They are reportedly concerned over the nature of third-party deals which could potentially be in Wighton's contract with South Sydney.
Given Wighton wanted to test the free agency market, there is a twinge of doubt over his signing of the lowest financial offering, although it's believed the star five-eighth, who has played over 200 games for the Raiders in what has been a one-club career to date, wanted to win a premiership as a key consideration in what could be his final NRL deal.
With the Rabbitohs playing in the last five preliminary finals and having the spine - all of Latrell Mitchell, Damien Cook, Cody Walker and Lachlan Ilias - locked in long-term, the premiership argument put up by Demetriou and South Sydney's recruitment team would have been a convincing one.
There is also the small matter of Wighton being great mates with Mitchell, with the duo playing representative football together previously.
Wighton will likely start his time at Redfern as a centre.
It's believed the Raiders had offered up to $1.1 million per season to retain Wighton, while the Dolphins increased their offer in a last-ditch bid earlier this week.
Investigate and then bench him for the remainder of his contract.
He has now publicly admitted he has no faith in the club, coaching staff and fellow teammates. His new contract is a vote of ‘no confidence’ in Raiders club. Kick his ass to the curb as fast as possible.
“His new contract is a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the club”
B_R, you could say the same about every player who signs up with another club mid-way through the season. They have more confidence that they will achieve their goals elsewhere than at their current club.
It’s different to a board sacking a coach half way through a season because they have no confidence in him. The difference is that they pay him out and he goes. Clubs can’t afford to be so cavalier with their squad members.
The challenge for Ricky is to now get Jack to perform at his best level for the rest of the season, and to motivate and train the rest of the squad to do the same.
If Canberra does not make the eight then perhaps Jack’s assessment about the coaching and playing staff will be vindicated. As long as Jack puts in his best for the rest of the season, he can leave the club with his head high, no matter what others may think of him.