Tom Burgess backs calls for Rabbitohs to sign Jack Wighton

Tom Burgess says Jack Wighton would suit the Rabbitohs to a tee after getting to know the Raiders five-eighth while the clubs were locked down in Queensland hubs during the 2021 Covid-affected season.

Wighton’s future is one of the hottest topics in rugby league right now, with the Raiders and Dolphins seemingly locked in a bidding war, only for Souths to emerge as the frontrunners to secure his services for next year.

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Wighton has a contract option in his favour to stay in the nation’s capital in 2024, but it’s looking increasingly likely he’ll turn his back on a mega four-year deal worth a reported $4.4m to join a rival club.

It appears Wighton met with Dolphins officials in Queensland on Thursday, but a meeting with Wayne Bennett might not be enough to lure him north.

The World Cup winner reportedly met with South Sydney powerbrokers on Friday, with the Bunnies keen to bring him across to play left centre, where he would link up with mates Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker.

Burgess has only heard good things about Wighton from English teammates like Elliott Whitehead, who plays with him at Canberra.

But it was a chance meeting two years ago which convinced the veteran prop that Wighton would be a good fit at the Rabbitohs.

“When we were in lockdown, we actually hung out with the Raiders boys quite a lot because we were in the same hotel. We weren’t playing against them again, so after the games it’d be the Raiders and Rabbitohs,” Burgess said.

“Obviously we’ve got that link because the boys know Jack. He’s a great lad and everyone speaks highly of him. I think he’s great and he’d suit our club. He’s a family man and he’s got a few kids.

“Quite a few English lads have played in Canberra and they all say good things about him, and it’s the same for the boys here who have played with him. He’d be a massive addition to any team.”

Wighton has formed a strong bond with Mitchell, with the pair brushing off a playful fracas earlier in the year to lead the Indigenous All Stars to victory in New Zealand.

The theory is that he’d play a couple of years in the centres and then possibly replace Walker in the halves if the crafty playmaker decides to retire.

His arrival would forge the best centre pairing in the game, with Wighton on the left and Blues hopeful Campbell Graham on the right, but it could force Isaiah Tass out of the side despite his strong work on the left edge.

Tass has developed a nice combination with Walker and Alex Johnston, with the trio linking up for a last gasp try to sink the Panthers in Thursday’s epic at Accor Stadium.

It was a great moment for Tass, who was outplayed by opposite number Stephen Crichton but got his revenge with the most important try of the night.

“I’m a big fan of Tass and have been ever since he came to the club,” Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou said.

“He’s a guy who’s getting better and better all the time. He’s probably coming up towards 20 or 25 games in the NRL, and he was outstanding apart from one tackle that he missed.

“One tackle shouldn’t define your game. I’ve seen a lot of young guys go into their shell in that position, so for him to muscle up and defend the way that he did (was great).

“Not only that, he took some really tough carries and did a lot of hard work in that second half for his teammates. I’m really happy to see him on the end of (that try) and get the rewards for staying resilient and staying in the frame.”