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UPDATE: Raiders coach Ricky Stuart joined Jack Wighton in breaking down when discussing his star man’s impending exit from the club.
The Raiders five-eighth is set to join the Rabbitohs on a lucrative multi-year deal, but played out of his skin once again to help his side secure a 31-30 golden point win over the Dolphins.
He followed up his heroic performance by breaking down into tears when discussing the decision to leave the Raiders.
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Wighton’s tears were soon emulated by his own coach.
“I feel sorry for Jack,” he said.
“Jack’s our mate, we’ve had a long association with him. He’s been put in a difficult position where he had to make a decision, and I’m OK with the decision.
“There’s a lot of excuses going around about why Jack’s leaving and it’s all crap. Jack wants a bit of a change. He’s been here a long time, he wants a change, and I get that, but he shouldn’t be put in that situation with regards to the way the system is at the moment, it’s hard on those players who have to make these decisions.
“All the innuendo, the criticism Jack’s got, it’s wrong. We need to make a better system so we can make it easy for teams, their teammates, the clubs, and the players making the decisions.
“We all love him. If we weren’t hurt by it, him going, we don’t care about him. We don’t care about the club. Am I pissed off he’s going? Yeah I am. But this is his decision.”
Stuart was full of praise for his team for its response to a week full of emotion.
“I’ve got to credit the players with regards to how they prepared this week,” he said.
“It’s been a week where I needed the boys, especially the senior players.
“We wanted to reveal a bit of character this week, and I reckon we did. We’ve been criticised as a club.”
Stuart was strong in his criticism of the NRL contract system prior to the Raiders’ clash with the Dolphins and revealed the real reason behind Wighton’s departure.
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Various reports have speculated about the former representative utility’s motivation to win a premiership while there were also rumours he’d move to the Dolphins so his wife could return to Queensland.
However, Stuart explained the reasoning was much more simple than that.
“Jack and I have been communicating. The five or six different excuses I keep hearing out there is complete crap,” he told Fox League before the Raiders’ clash with the Dolphins.
“Jack wanted a change, and I get that, the timing of it is wrong. I said earlier in the week, the system’s flawed, Jack shouldn’t be put under this pressure in regards to having to make a decision now … it’s unfair on the fans.
Wighton keeps the doubters quiet
“Jack and I have had regular communication and I felt for Jack having to make the decision. I understand the decision [and] I’m comfortable with Jack making that decision to leave, it’s just unfortunate with the timing.
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“Credit to Jack and credit to the players, it hasn’t disrupted our week.”
Pressed further on the contract system in which players can sign for another club during the current season, Stuart believes it’s a problem that needs upheaval.
“They’ve got it wrong, and the NRL need to fix it,” he said.
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