Jack Wighton facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Jack Daniel Wighton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 February 1993 Orange, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 96 kg (15 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Five-eighth, Centre, Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 30 August 2024
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Jack Wighton (born 4 February 1993) is an Australian professional rugby league player. He plays as a centre for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League (NRL). Jack has spent most of his career as a five-eighth. He has also played as a centre for his state and country.
Jack has represented the Indigenous All Stars, Country Origin, and Prime Minister's XIII. He also played for New South Wales in the famous State of Origin series. In 2020, he won the Dally M Medal, which is a huge award for the best player in the NRL.
Early Life and Background
Jack Wighton was born in Orange, New South Wales, Australia. His family comes from the Wiradjuri people on his mother's side. They are from Peak Hill and Wellington, New South Wales. Jack is related to other rugby league players like Brent Naden, Willie Tonga, and Latrell Mitchell.
Jack started playing junior rugby league for Orange CYMS and Bloomfield Tigers. He later joined the Canberra Raiders. He also played for the Werribee Centrals Football Club reserves.
Jack Wighton's Playing Career
Starting Out in Rugby League
Jack showed great talent from a young age. In 2010, he represented New South Wales Under 18s. He also played for the Australian Schoolboys team.
In 2011, Jack played for the Raiders' NYC team. Soon after, he was promoted to the Raiders' main NRL squad.
NRL Debut and Early Years (2012-2014)
Jack made his first NRL appearance for the Canberra Raiders in Round 2 of the 2012 NRL season. He played on the wing against the Gold Coast Titans. The Raiders won the game 24–12. In Round 6, he scored his first NRL try against the New Zealand Warriors.
In 2013, Jack was chosen to play for the Indigenous All Stars team. He also played for NSW Country at centre. He finished the 2013 NRL season with 18 matches and 4 tries.
For the 2014 NRL season, Jack started playing as a five-eighth. He later moved back to his preferred centre position. Towards the end of the season, he played as a fullback. He had a strong finish to the year, playing 20 matches and scoring 6 tries.
Representative Honours and Key Moments (2015-2017)
In 2015, Jack was again selected for the Indigenous All Stars team. He also played for New South Wales Country against New South Wales City. He scored a try in Country's 34–22 win. Jack played 20 matches and scored 7 tries for the Raiders in the 2015 NRL season. He also played for the Prime Minister's XIII team, scoring a try in their win against Papua New Guinea.
In 2016, Jack was named in the New South Wales Blues squad. He played for the Indigenous All Stars and Country Origin teams. He finished the 2016 NRL season playing 26 matches and scoring 8 tries for the Raiders.
In 2017, Jack played for the Indigenous All Stars again. In Round 7, he played his 100th NRL match for the Raiders. He signed a contract extension with the Raiders until 2020. Jack played 23 matches and scored 7 tries in the 2017 NRL season.
Challenges and Triumphs (2018-2019)
In 2018, Jack played in 13 matches for the Raiders, scoring 3 tries. He was unavailable for a period during the season.
The 2019 NRL season was a big one for Jack. He played as a five-eighth for the Raiders. In June, he made his State of Origin debut for New South Wales. He played in all three games of the 2019 State of Origin series. New South Wales won the series 2-1.
Jack played his 150th NRL game for Canberra in Round 22. He made 26 appearances as the Raiders reached their first Grand Final in 25 years. In the 2019 NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters, Jack scored a try. Although Canberra lost the final, Jack was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the man of the match. This was a special achievement, as he was only the fourth player to win this award from a losing team.
After his great season, Jack was named in the Australian team for the Oceania Cup.
Dally M Winner and International Play (2020-2022)
The 2020 NRL season was outstanding for Jack. He scored two tries in a victory over Canterbury-Bankstown. He also scored two tries against St. George. Jack was named the joint Meninga Medal winner for the Raiders' player of the year.
Most impressively, Jack won the Dally M Medal as the NRL's player of the year! He was selected for the 2020 State of Origin series. He played in all three games for New South Wales, but Queensland won the series.
In the 2021 NRL season, Jack played 21 games for Canberra. The team finished in 10th place.
In 2022, Jack was again selected for New South Wales to play in Game One of the 2022 State of Origin series. In October, he was named in the Australia squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. Jack played for Australia in their World Cup final victory over Samoa, helping his country win the trophy!
Moving to South Sydney (2023-Present)
In 2023, Jack announced he would retire from representative rugby league. On April 26, it was announced that Jack had signed a four-year deal with the South Sydney team, starting in 2024.
Jack played his last game for Canberra in their close elimination final loss to the Newcastle Knights.
In Round 3 of the 2024 NRL season, Jack made his club debut for South Sydney. The following week, he scored two tries for South Sydney in their victory over Canterbury.
Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |  Canberra Raiders |
9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2013 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| 2014 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
| 2015 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |
| 2016 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | |
| 2017 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |
| 2018 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 2019 | 26 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 | |
| 2020 | 22 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 | |
| 2021 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |
| 2022 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| 2023 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |
| 2024 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Totals | 263 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 324 |
Images for kids
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Jack Wighton playing for the Canberra Raiders U20s side in 2011
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Wighton warming up for the Kangaroos at the 2021 RLWC
