Jack Wighton heard the word "jail". And then for a second that must have resembled an eternity, silence.
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"The judge definitely put the pause in the right spot mate," Wighton told The Canberra Times earlier this year.
![NSW Blues utility Jack Wighton is looking to make a difference on and off the park. Picture: AAP NSW Blues utility Jack Wighton is looking to make a difference on and off the park. Picture: AAP](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc75l16qyyr1kjdxfy6ya.jpg/r0_194_5463_3642_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"She left me hanging with the 'jail' for a little while. Whatever I copped I copped."
What he copped was a two-month suspended jail term, a $30,000 fine from the NRL and a 10-game suspension for five counts of assault and one of public urination.
The Canberra Raiders star and soon to be NSW Blues utility is ready to move on. He is ready to help others away from the reckless path he strayed down on that regrettable night.
That's why you can find him at PCYC Erindale every week, trying to help kids to whom stories of drugs and violence are far too common.
The chance to give back - whether he is helping with schoolwork, getting kids active or simply donating football boots - is no doubt helping each person he crosses paths with in the Wanniassa facility.
![NSW Blues debutants Payne Haas, Nick Cotric, Cody Walker, Cameron Murray and Jack Wighton. Picture: AAP NSW Blues debutants Payne Haas, Nick Cotric, Cody Walker, Cameron Murray and Jack Wighton. Picture: AAP](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc75ixzpwf1v6lfgkekv2.jpg/r0_520_5088_3392_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"But it also really helped myself. It really put life into perspective," Wighton said.
"I've been in this fast lane all my life and when I get a day off and go out there I come back to reality. It just shows me the world is a much bigger place than just football.
"That's something I've been enjoying. Just every time I get a chance to on a day off from the Raiders I'll duck down there and help out.
"It's a lot of school programs and getting people interacting, getting them to be active again, just keeping them busy and trying to get them on the right path.
"Over the past couple of years I have done my Cert IV in youth work and I've been interested.
![NSW debutant Jack Wighton (R) has been told to prepare for anything in State of Origin game one. NSW debutant Jack Wighton (R) has been told to prepare for anything in State of Origin game one.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/7f1af038-87b2-4c67-8812-c9da71ed6410.jpg/r0_11_800_461_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Just because you're giving back and helping other people out, it's something I have been enjoying."
His off-field work helped Wighton turn things around - something he knew he had to do every time he looked at his partner Monisha, and their daughters Ariah and Aaliyah.
So when it came time to knuckle down on the field, Wighton was determined to make the most of his last chance.
He shone at five-eighth during Canberra's dream start to the season that has the Green Machine well placed to end their finals exile.
He has proven just as impressive in the halves as he did at fullback, which saw his name floated as a Blues bolter off the bench.
Wighton heard the chit-chat but wondered if he had done enough. Then came the call.
"I was pumped mate, I was over the moon," Wighton said this week from Blues camp.
"There has been a little bit of speculation, but when you actually get the call, it's so much more exciting.
"After last year I wasn't so sure [this would happen], I just wanted to get my head back in the picture. A few rounds in it's something I thought I could achieve this year.
"Our first training session made it sink in a little bit more. It's awesome, it's a good bunch of lads.
"I don't know what to expect, it's something you just have to take in when it happens because it is hard to explain."
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