Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett says the club will pay more than $1million for Canberra playmaker Jack Wighton if they think he is the right fit.
Wighton has informed the Raiders that he will test the market for the 2024 NRL season and beyond despite having an option that he can take up for next year if he so desires.
Bennett said he wouldn’t reveal how much the Dolphins had in their salary cap but gave an indication of their cash clout when asked if he would pay $1million for Wighton.
“If we thought he was the right fit for the club and brought the things that we need then we would probably pay more than $1million,” Bennett said.
“That’s not the issue. The issue is, ‘Does he fit our needs? Do we suit him?’ They are the things that we’ve all got to talk about and work out.
“He is a very competitive player, highly skilled and has been a great servant of the game. He plays a number of positions.”
Wighton has played most positions in the backline in his 224-game career. He spent four seasons at fullback at the Raiders before moving to five-eighth in 2019.
In representative football for Australia and NSW he has played mostly as a centre and sometimes as a bench utility.
The Dolphins have Sean O’Sullivan, Anthony Milford and rookie Isaiya Katoa on the books in the halves.
They have fullback well covered with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow starting the season on fire.
When asked if the Dolphins were just looking at Wighton in the halves, Bennett said: “No, we are just looking at him.”
Bennett said he was yet to make an arrangement with Wighton and his management to hold official talks.
“But we will go down that path,” he said.
The Dolphins have significant room in their cap for a playmaker after missing out on targets such as Kalyn Ponga and Cameron Munster. It is a situation that has unfolded due to circumstances and by design.
“It is just the position we have found ourselves in,” Bennett said.
“We’ve approached someone and they haven’t wanted to come here, so it is a bit of both. We will not be buying players that can’t meet the pressure test here I can tell you.
“We will play with 15 or 13 if we have to, if we can’t get the right 17.”
Bennett said he was delighted to get regular hooker Jeremy Marshall-King back from suspension for Saturday night’s clash with St George Illawarra in Wollongong. The former Bulldog has re-signed until the end of 2025.
“We are really pleased with what he has done here. He fits our culture and I hope it was a really easy decision for him to want to stay,” Bennett said.
