South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou has revealed his motivation behind chasing Jack Wighton as the club prepares to welcome the representative star next season.
Wighton’s decision to go on the open market for the first time in years sparked a frenzy with Canberra, the Dolphins and Rabbitohs fighting for his services.
Canberra’s $4.4 million offer over four years was reportedly the richest while the Dolphins were believed to be a strong chance with the Wayne Bennett factor.
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Ultimately Wighton signed with the Rabbitohs on less money and Demetriou opened up on why he decided to enter into the market to strengthen his side.
“We signed no players, we hadn’t really gone outside our club for my first two years in the job,” he told Nine’s 100% Footy.
“I felt like if I was going to bring someone in – I’m pretty happy with how our squad is – but if there was some quality out there that would make us improve our side then I was definitely going to go after it.”
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The South Sydney coach added the thought of signing Wighton wasn’t initially in his plans this year.
“The Jack thing happened really quickly, it wasn’t something that was really on the radar, but he had some really strong relationships with people at our club,” he said.
“Once I sat down with him and saw what his motivation was for what his decision making was going to be I knew it’d be a good fit for us.”
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While not stating what position Wighton would play when he joins South Sydney next year, Demetriou explained his value as a utility will make him an attractive option for the side.
“His versatility is obviously a big one, being able to play centre, five-eighth, being able to cover fullback as well … at the end of the day he’s a million dollar player at Canberra and he’s a very strong attacking player and he’ll fit in with us really well and makes us a better team,” he said.
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