It’s never easy replacing a club legend but Canberra signing Kaeo Weekes isn’t shying away from filling the gaping hole left by the departure of Jack Wighton to South Sydney.
Weekes signed a two-year deal to switch from his home club Manly to the Raiders and appears the leading candidate to replace Dally M and Clive Churchill medallist Wighton at five-eighth.
The 21-year-old will battle fellow youngster Ethan Strange for the role, insisting he’d been given no guarantees when deciding to join the Green Machine during the off-season.
“There’s no promises, all I can do is put my best foot forward and just see what happens come the trial games and round one,” Weekes said on Wednesday.
“I’ve got a big opportunity in front of me and so do the other boys.
“There’s a big spot that needs to be filled … (Wighton) is a club legend. He’d been here for a long time, he’s had the highs of the game playing for Australia and NSW.
“There’s big shoes to be filled but I’m not too worried about that, I’m trying to think about what I can do and what’s best for the team.”
The versatile Weekes will also get the chance to fight for the starting fullback position, with coach Ricky Stuart previously indicating he hasn’t finalised his spine plans for 2024.
Sebastian Kris played the majority of last season at No.1, while out-of-favour Xavier Savage and boom teenager Chevy Stewart are other candidates for the role.
Whichever direction the Raiders go, it’s likely they’ll field a much more inexperienced side next season following 242-gamer Wighton’s move to the Rabbitohs and the retirement of Jarrod Croker after 307 appearances.
Told he could find a new club by the Sea Eagles, Weekes said heading to the national capital hadn’t been a tough decision as he bids to become a regular at the top level.
“The opportunity is here and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said.
“I love playing footy and wherever that may lead me, I want to play NRL. It wasn’t that big of a decision for me.
“That’s (been) the dream ever since I was a little kid; you want to get out and play NRL week in, week out.”
By Alex Mitchell in Canberra
