Coach takes aim at 'ridiculous' Wighton claim:
https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/news-2...reaction/32a8bc04-6f01-4d51-a52d-3fbbb533fd42
SOUTHS BOSS HITS BACK AT SALARY CAP CLAIMS AFTER WIGHTON COUP
Peter Badel
Souths bosses insist they have not rorted the salary cap in a bid to secure Raiders star Jack Wighton, declaring “we have nothing to hide” as the Rabbitohs welcomed a probe from NRL investigators.
The stance from Rabbitohs boss Blake Solly came as News Corp can reveal Souths skipper Cameron Murray was a pivotal figure in convincing Wighton to shun offers from Canberra and the Dolphins to head to Redfern.
Wighton’s four-year, $3.4 million deal with Souths will be rubber-stamped in the next 24 hours, prompting furious Canberra chiefs to lodge a formal protest with NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo.
The Raiders want the NRL’s salary-cap team to scrutinise every facet of Wighton’s Souths deal amid fears the Rabbitohs may have circumvented salary cap rules to lure the NSW Origin ace to Redfern.
Abdo has promised to put the deal under the microscope – when it is officially lodged by Souths – and Solly is adamant the Rabbitohs offer to win Wighton’s signature is entirely legitimate under NRL contracting laws.
“We have nothing to hide,” Solly said.
“When we submit the contract, we welcome any NRL scrutiny from the cap auditors on this deal (for Wighton).
“We’re happy to be completely transparent with the NRL.”
Blake Solly says South Sydney has “nothing to hide”.
Canberra hierarchy have called for Abdo to scrutinise Wighton’s deal with South Sydney to ensure it is salary-cap compliant and on a par with the $1.1 million a season the 30-year-old was offered by the Raiders.
The Green Machine are wondering why Wighton would accept $1 million less over a four-year term to leave the junior club with whom he won Dally M and Clive Churchill Medals and played in the 2019 NRL grand final.
It is the first time in Canberra’s 41-year history that the Raiders have called for League Central to probe a rival contract.
Canberra have also taken the unprecedented step of disclosing precise details of their upgraded four-year offer to the NRL to ensure Souths’ deal is of comparable value.
By linking with his good mate Latrell Mitchell at Souths, Wighton has forgone more lucrative offers in order to relocate to Sydney.
But Indigenous All Stars cohort Mitchell was not the only key figure in luring Wighton to the Bunnies burrow.
It is understood Wighton is a huge fan of Murray and the support of the South Sydney skipper proved decisive in convincing the 225-game Raiders utility back to chase his dream of a maiden premiership ring at the Rabbitohs.
Solly confirmed Murray was crucial in getting the Wighton deal over the line.
“Cameron has a huge opinion of Jack,” he said.
“Cameron is a top leader and a quality person.
“For Cameron to talk about Jack in the way he does speaks volumes about his character and what he could bring to the Rabbitohs.”
NRL CEO Abdo confirmed on Tuesday night that League Central will put Wighton’s deal under the microscope.
