Jack Wighton is the first to tell you he didn't think this moment would come.
The moment he runs on to Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night for his 250th NRL game when South Sydney takes on the Cowboys during Magic Round.
The Rabbitohs centre has endured plenty of ups and downs throughout a glittering career featuring State of Origin series wins, a World Cup and Dally M Medal.
Despite all the success on the field, Wighton freely admits he made plenty of mistakes off the field. It's those missteps, he feels, that allowed him to truly appreciate how fortunate he is to still be playing in the NRL.
"Many times," Wighton said when asked if he thought his career was over. "Usually it was by my self doing, being a scallywag.
"I don't recommend anyone be silly like that but those eye openers really refreshed me to what I had, showed me what I was about to lose. I played some of my best football after those moments, it was a real kick in the bum.
"You find what you started playing for when you were five years old, you remember you loved it so much. So even the bad times, it's been all part of the journey that got me to this moment."
Match: Rabbitohs v Cowboys
Round 11 -
home Team
Rabbitohs
17th Position
away Team
Cowboys
13th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Wighton moved to Canberra as a teenager from Orange to join the Raiders pathway and complete his schooling at renowned rugby league nursery Erindale College.
The precociously talented junior quickly stood out and he gained Australian Schoolboys selection in 2010. An NRL debut followed in round two of 2012, Wighton on the wing outside close friend Jarrod Croker in the centres.
Rd2 Titans v Raiders (Hls)
The pair combined for a memorable try in the 24-12 victory, the debutant leaping high into the air to bat a ball back for Croker to score.
It was the start of a glittering career, Wighton quickly abandoning a carpentry apprenticeship to focus on achieving his rugby league dream.
For those watching closely, success was destined to follow.
Croker first met Wighton while they were at school together and it didn't take him long to realise the youngster would do whatever it takes to succeed.
"He's one of the most competitive people I've seen," Croker told NRL.com. "His will to win is more than anyone I've seen and that gets you a long way.
"Aside from his amazing talent, he's got that hunger and competitiveness only certain people have. Jack's at the top of the list when it comes to that."
The Raiders celebrate Wighton and Croker
Wighton has gone on to achieve nearly everything on offer in the game. He was the 2020 Dally M Player of the Year, has represented NSW 10 times and played in seven Tests for the Kangaroos.
The playmaker also claimed the Clive Churchill Medal in 2019 after the Raiders fell to the Roosters in a tense grand final.
Wighton wins Clive Churchill Medal
Croker was by Wighton's side for the majority of the journey before retiring in 2023 after 307 NRL games.
Through it all, he's watched his close friend grow from a boy into a humble family man, a dad who loves his wife and children more than anything else in the world.
"We've watched each other's families grow up," Croker said. "We've formed a special bond off the field.
"He's had some tough times but it's quite evident in the way he got through them that he's a family-first man. I've always admired that about him and he's taught me a lot of things."
While he spent 12 years in Canberra, Wighton's 250th NRL game won't come in lime green. Instead he will run out in cardinal and myrtle after making the off-season switch to the Rabbitohs.
The 31-year-old concedes it was strange at first to play for a different club but has bonded with his new teammates through a difficult start to the season.
South Sydney currently sit last on the ladder with just one win from nine matches and recently replaced coach Jason Demetriou. It's not the environment Wighton was expecting when he signed with the club but he's found positives from the struggle.
"It is different," Wighton said. "One thing I should say is these tough times have made me closer to Souths. I came here and it was everybody else's club at first because I was so attached to the Raiders, over half my life was in Canberra.
"When you're in the trenches going through hard times, you find out who people are. You share a different type of emotion when you've got your backs against the wall together.
"It's brought me a lot closer to this club. I have a lot more feelings for this club and for the boys in the club because of this tough time. Hopefully that will make it feel a lot better when we do shake them."
