Jack Wighton has officially retired from representative football as of this morning, which means he will be ineligible for selection for this year's State of Origin.
The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Wighton spoke to Blues coach Brad Fittler this morning to inform him of his decision to retire from representative football.
Although Wighton appeared in the first game last year for the Blues, he was left out of the Game 3 team after missing the second match due to COVID-19. He was overtaken in the centres by Matt Burton and Stephen Crichton.
"Jack spoke to Freddy and has told him of his disappointing decision to retire from representative football," Blues adviser Greg Alexander told the Herald on Monday morning.
"He has said that he wants to focus on family and club footy. It's a blow for us. He has been an important part of our squad for the last five years and would have been in the mix again. We've loved having Jack in camp and in the team."
"He's an Origin player. He's been a great player not only for NSW, but for Australia and the Indigenous All Stars. It's disappointing he won't be able to be part of this series."
While Wighton has announced his retirement from representative footy, he is yet to make a decision regarding where he will be playing next season.
After turning down a contract option with the Raiders, he was offered a four-year deal worth $4 million which he is yet to respond back to.
