Ricky Stuart is at ease with his star five-eighth Jack Wighton testing the NRL’s open market, but hopes he remembers what the Canberra Raiders have done for his career when signing his next contract.
Canberra’s Wighton sent shockwaves through the competition when he declined a player option for 2024 in favour of assessing external offers, with reports suggesting at least 10 clubs have already made contact with his management.
But Stuart, who’s consistently talked about his admiration of Wighton, says he’s got every right to test the market and find his worth as the 30-year-old seeks a longer-term deal.
“Jack knows I want him here, that’s the most important thing for me,” he said.
“He knows my feelings about him as a person and as a football player and I want him to be a Raider, but that decision is taken out of my hands, that’s up to Jack.
“I haven’t spoken to Jack about it, but it’s not uncommon for a number of players that have those clauses in their contracts . .. over the last 12-18 months, there’s been a number of players who have tested the open market.
“Jack’s got to make a decision to make, so that’s where it’s at.”
Canberra CEO Don Furner has said the club will do everything they can to keep Wighton, not taking his declining the option as a sign he wants to leave.
Wighton also turned down a player option on his last contract in 2019 in favour of testing the market, before penning his new five-year deal with the Raiders.
He was with the Green Machine as a junior before his NRL debut in 2012, Stuart suggesting it was a textbook example of how a club can work with young talent for the benefit of both parties.
He also pointed to the support the club has given him, including standing by him when he faced assault charges in 2018 that eventually netted him a suspended jail term.
“I’m at ease with it because I know we do everything we possibly can for Jack and his family,” Stuart said.
“We got Jack a s a 15-year-old player here, the club has done a wond erful job for Jack, stood by him in all sorts of different circumstances.
“We’ve stuck right beside him and he’s a great example for a lot of other young players out there what we can do for young players that come with thi s club.
“Jack’s ability and the club’s support, where it’s got Jack as a player is a great example for what we can do for other young men and women.”
