Jack Wighton's fresh start is everything he wanted it to be. Speaking for the first time since starting his maiden South Sydney pre-season, Wighton told The Canberra Times he's been training in the centres - although the focus has been on fitness rather than football in the opening weeks. After spending all of his career at the Green Machine since moving to Canberra from Orange as a teenager, Wighton made the switch to Souths to get a taste of something different. And that's what he's been doing - as he gets to know Sydney ahead of his young family joining him in the Harbour City once school's out. The start to his time at the Rabbitohs has been about building new relationships - including with Souths coach Jason Demetriou. Wighton saw similarities between his new mentor and his former coach Ricky Stuart - with their passion one of the obvious links. It's helped him feel at home, while he also credited his cousin Latrell Mitchell and the rest of his South Sydney teammates for welcoming him to Redfern. Raiders fans have had to quickly come to terms with Wighton's departure, Souths already using images of him in cardinal and myrtle to promote their new merchandise. Then Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rubbed salt in the wound by stating how happy he was to have Wighton at Souths during an interview at Manuka Oval on Thursday. After 242 NRL games with the Green Machine, Wighton wanted something new. "It's been good, mate. It's been awesome to get that change I was looking for," he said. "I haven't done nothing yet, but a bit of training and try and find my way around. "I'm building new relationships with coaches and players. It's been a really good experience." He's spent his first few weeks at the Rabbitohs slotting into the centres - despite pundits coming up with all sorts of different theories about where he should be used. The 30-year-old said he'd happily play wherever he was put, but at this early stage the left edge looked the most likely. It has the potential to produce a potent Souths left edge with Wighton alongside five-eighth Cody Walker and winger Alex Johnston, with fullback Mitchell chiming in as well. "I'm training in the centres for now, but there's a few great centres here so just working to earn my spot," Wighton said. "I'm putting in the hard yards. I think that's what we're all trying to do - put our best forward to try and get a go. "Alex is still on break at the moment, but we've got some real strike players there. "It's very good and we're doing the work. It's only early days and we haven't played no football yet. "We're just getting to know how each other works and getting our lungs and legs under us." Souths were looking to rebound next season after a disappointing second half of 2023 saw them miss out on the finals - despite being top of the ladder after round 11. Wighton said that was all in the past. As was his time with the Raiders. He's already moved on and felt Souths should do the same - with the goal of starting 2024 with a bang against Manly in Las Vegas, although Wighton will still be suspended for biting Tyson Gamble in the Raiders' elimination final loss to Newcastle. "Last year's last year, you know what I mean," Wighton said. "If I was worried about last year I'd still be at the Raiders. "It's all fresh starts. We're all looking for the future and everyone's looking to learn off last year, myself and the team, but we're definitely looking to put our best foot forward come round one." Wighton said he'd already noticed some similarities between his new and former coaches. "They're both two great coaches," he said. "They're both very, very passionate and you can tell they're very similar in a lot of ways with their competitiveness and wanting the best out of the boys."
