Suspended Canberra fullback Jack Wighton looks set to have a new role in 2019, with The Daily Telegraphย suggesting the 25-year-old will line up alongside Aiden Sezer in the halves this season.

Wighton is set to make the five-eighth position his own after spending most of the pre-season training alongside Sezer, and looks likely to be named at No. 6 for their opening clash against the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday, March 17.

With Wighton to move out of fullback, it looks as though Nick Cotric will be the favourite to fill the vacant No. 1 jersey, having spent some time in that position in 2018.

Wighton was handed a six-month NRL ban and a suspended two-month jail sentence from theย ACT Magistrates Court in November for six charges surrounding an incident at a Canberra nightclub back in February 2018.

The 130-game veteran pleaded guilty to assaulting three men on the night and was handed a ban from the league, but will be allowed to play at the start of 2019 after serving his time.

7 COMMENTS

  1. ITs funny that he is being tried at 5/8 when the previous attempt failed badly.
    What has changed in Rickys mind. Is it the fact that he is apparently bullet proof in all aspects of his life,
    Cast your minds back a few years ago to the likes of Joel Monaghan, Todd Carney, Blake Ferguson and Josh Duggan all being moved on from the Raiders for various mister meaners.
    The average Raiders fan must be wondering firstly how he is still at the club in light of other previous players disgressions and why he would be considered at 5/8 after the previous failure.
    Going to be another season of what ifs for the Raiders I think. ( hope they can prove me wrong)

  2. I am assuming you mean “misdemeanours” Maybe Canberra were tired of enforcing a high standard of player behaviour and having many of those same players come back an burn them in different colours a few months later.

  4. Your absolutely right about keeping him and letting past players leave. Donโ€™t really have much of an idea of what happens in Managements minds. Over past years itโ€™s been about signing decent players, building a average squad and letting players that do things wrong go. This offseason and the past one has more been about players thinking they are worth so much money, the club disagreeing and then the player leaving.
    For example Paul Vaughan, Shannon Boyd, Junior Paulo and Blake Austin.
    They havenโ€™t had a good season in a while, other than 2016, but have good teams almost every year. Maybe itโ€™s not the players faults and some of the staff or coaches need to go instead

  5. It failed big time, heโ€™s just not a 5/8. They only change they need to make is the coach. I am a big Whighton fan, at the back,

  6. As a Raiders fan through and through, I can confirm this positional change is due to the fact we at Raiders have had enough of our talents coming back and burning us while playing for other teams.

    Whighton was given the option of leaving but he chose not to. He has focussed on his halves game and wants responsibility. This is his way of giving back to the Raiders.

    He is however, on a very tight leash.

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