Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is expecting Jack Wighton to be named for NSW on Sunday - unless they've suddenly changed the State of Origin prototype from athletic, skilful and tough.
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Wighton's been one of the Raiders' best this season, with Stuart previously saying he's in career best form.
He'll again be a key for the Raiders to extend their three-game winning streak by beating the Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
The 29-year-old's versatility means he can fill several roles for the Blues, as he looks to add to his nine Origins.
It's likely Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai will be given the No.6 jersey after avoiding suspension for a high tackle on Friday night.
But both centre spots are up for grabs with Latrell Mitchell (hamstring) and Tom Trbojevic (shoulder) both ruled out of Origin I in Sydney next Wednesday.
The front runners appear to be Penrith's Stephen Crichton and Brisbane's Kotoni Staggs, but Wighton's also filled the role for Blues coach Brad Fittler before.
Wighton's the perfect No.14 - able to cover the halves, outside backs, fullback and possibly even second row and lock.
"I think he gets selected. Unless State of Origin football has changed in regards to the type of player you select - and that's obviously athletic, skilful and tough - I can't see why he won't be picked," Stuart told The Canberra Times.
"He'd be my first player picked, Jack."
Stuart backed Wighton to fill any of the roles at five-eighth, centres or the utility bench role for NSW.
Wighton's been able to focus on his powerful running game, which is perfect for the Origin arena, this season thanks largely to young halfback Brad Schneider's ability to step up and take a lot of the organisational work out of Wighton's hands.
The Orange product struggled at times in 2021 following the departure of No.7 George Williams, who returned to England due to homesickness.
Wighton's scored three tries in his nine NRL games this season.
"Personally I think the halves will be the Penrith boys - [Nathan Cleary and Luai] - and I think if Jack's not used on an edge he'll be used as a utility player on the bench," Stuart said.
"He's got wonderful utility value and when you're talking about State of Origin football you're talking about mentally and physically tough, and Jack's got that in spades."
MORE RAIDERS NEWS
Meanwhile, the Canberra Raiders are hoping to have an answer from Adam Elliott in the next few days in regards to the three-year contract that's currently on the table.
The Raiders are quietly confident of keeping the former Canterbury Bulldog, who joined the Green Machine on a one-year deal as he looked to get his career back on track.
But Newcastle and the Gold Coast are both also believed to be sniffing around the Tathra Sea Eagles junior.
NRL ROUND 12
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Xavier Savage, 2. Nick Cotric, 4. Matt Timoko, 16. Sebastian Kris, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Adam Elliott. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ryan Sutton, 17. Corey Horsburgh, 20. James Schiller. Reserves: 18. Brad Schneider, 22. Trey Mooney.
Eels squad: 1. Clinton Gutherson (c), 2. Waqa Blake, 3. Viliami Penisini, 4. Tom Opacic, 5. Bailey Simonsson, 6. Dylan Brown, 7. Mitchell Moses, 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Shaun Lane, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Isaiah Papali'i. Interchange: 14. Makahesi Makatoa, 15. Ryan Matterson, 16. Oregon Kaufusi, 17. Nathan Brown. Interchange: 18. Bryce Cartwright, 19. Jakob Arthur.
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