It’s the State of Origin moment Jack Wighton still thinks about. If he’d dummied and gone himself instead of throwing a pass that led to an intercept try, would have he scored?
“I still might have got mowed down but it wouldn’t have been six points to them,” Wighton told Defending the Shield, an exclusive three-part series examining the Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues Origin defence in 2019.
“I might have just fallen short of the line, I might have got there but it could have been a definite try if it was just a finger length just in front (of Dane Gagai) too.”
Replays show Wighton had got on the outside of Will Chambers, Daly Cherry-Evans was sprinting across in cover, Gagai was holding his position and Blues winger Josh Addo-Carr was on the outside waiting for the pass that could put the Blues in front.
It was a split-second decision that would test the resolve of the most battle-hardened Origin player let alone one making his debut and Wighton only realised it had all gone “pear-shaped” when he looked up from the ground to see Gagai racing away.
“I saw they were a little bit stretched and I thought I had them beat and I was very confident and excited to get that ball in my hands,” Wighton said.
“I got on the outside of Chambers and then it was a split-second you know. I got around, I was falling and I went for the pass and I remember lifting my head up and all I could hear was, ‘Queenslander, Queenslander.’
“I looked backwards and Dane Gagai was running the other way with my ball. I thought, ‘Oh no’ and I got up and was jogging back and I thought, ‘This is deadest one of those dreams. Am I dreaming or has this just happened on one of the biggest moments of my life?’
“It was very daunting and I got behind the try line and I didn’t know what to say to the boys. I thought, ‘I’ve just come on here and I’ve done this.’ I tried looking the boys in the eyes and I wasn’t sure where to look because it was a big moment.”
The Gagai try broke an 8-all deadlock with less than 15 minutes to go and the Maroons extended their lead to 18-8 when he scored again a short time later.
The Blues never gave up and pegged one back through Jake Trbojevic to close the deficit to 18-14 but time would eventually beat them to leave them 1-0 down in the series.
Wighton cut a disconsolate figure in the Blues dressing room after the game until coach Brad Fittler approached him and told him he’d still be picking him for Game Two.
“I remember sitting there and I was trying to hold the tears back,” Wighton said.
“You looked at me and said, ‘At least you did what I asked and you tried to have a go. You didn’t leave nothing in the tank.’”
The story of course has a happy ending after NSW went on to win the next two games to complete their first successful Shield defence since 2005.
Wighton was elevated into the starting side at centre and played a key role in both games. He came up with a try assist and line break in the 38-6 win in Game Two in Perth and made several big plays in defence to help the Blues secure a 26-20 win in Game Three in Sydney to clinch the series.
He went on to help steer the Canberra Raiders to their first Grand Final since 1994 and although they didn’t get the result against the Sydney Roosters, he finished the night as Clive Churchill Medallist.
“I thought to myself after the second (Origin) game and even after the first game if you can play on a stage like that to go back and play for your club you can do it week in week out,” Wighton said.
“I just had this feeling of confidence and it really helped with the Grand Final. It’s the same kind of thing as Origin. You’ve got to step up or you get left behind. You’ve just got to act.
“It helped massively for the rest of my year too.”