The moment he runs on to Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night for his 250th NRL game when South Sydney takes on the Cowboys during Magic Round.
The Rabbitohs centre has endured plenty of ups and downs throughout a glittering career featuring State of Origin series wins, a World Cup and Dally M Medal.
Despite all the success on the field, Wighton freely admits he made plenty of mistakes off the field. It’s those missteps, he feels, that allowed him to truly appreciate how fortunate he is to still be playing in the NRL.
“Many times,” Wighton said when asked if he thought his career was over. “Usually it was by my self doing, being a scallywag.
“I don’t recommend anyone be silly like that but those eye openers really refreshed me to what I had, showed me what I was about to lose. I played some of my best football after those moments, it was a real kick in the bum.
“You find what you started playing for when you were five years old, you remember you loved it so much. So even the bad times, it’s been all part of the journey that got me to this moment.”
