Rabbitohs star Jack Wighton has vowed to help prepare his team-mates to avoid the wooden spoon after being suspended for four matches.

Wighton was found guilty of a Grade 2 Shoulder Charge after unsuccessfully challenging the charge at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night and will return for the club’s last match of the season against arch-rivals Sydney Roosters.

The veteran back pleaded not guilty to a shoulder charge on Cronulla forward Toby Rudolf during last Saturday night’s 14-12 loss.


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Wighton sent to the bin

After the initial guilty verdict was handed down by the judiciary panel of former player Bob Lindner and ex-referee Greg McCallum, Wighton’s counsel Nick Ghabar SC then argued he was only guilty of a Grade 1 shoulder charge.

If the panel had agreed Wighton would have been outed for two games instead of four, but that bid also failed and he will now miss upcoming matches against the Broncos, Titans, Eels and Dragons.

The Rabbitohs are currently on 16 points along with the Knights and Titans but sit bottom of the NRL table on for-and-against. The Eels and Dragons are on 18 points.

However, Souths have a Round 26 bye and should avoid collecting the first wooden spoon in coach Wayne Bennett’s 38-year career if they win at least one of their matches before Wighton’s return.  

“It was a fair hearing, I thought we had a good case, but we didn’t get the result we wanted, so I will turn all my attention to preparing my teammates and really helping everybody in my club the best way I can for now,” Wighton said.

Summary of reasons for the decision of the judiciary panel

The Panel’s determination was unanimous, and did not require the casting vote of the Chairperson.

The case for both parties was conducted on the basis that the Panel was required to ask four questions, and was required to be satisfied that the answer to each of those questions was “yes” before a finding of guilt could be reached. The Panel was directed accordingly, and considered the evidence on that basis.

As to the first question, namely whether there was forceful contact between player Wighton and player Rudolf, the Panel was satisfied that this element was made out. In the Panel’s view, the fact that this was so was reflected in the manner in which player Rudolf was knocked to the ground after contact occurred.
As to the second question, namely whether that forceful contact was generated by the shoulder and/or upper arm of player Wighton, the Panel was satisfied that this element was also made out. In the Panel’s view, this was demonstrated by the twisting motion which was adopted by player Wighton which resulted in his shoulder being pointed forward, driving up and making contact.
As to the third question, namely whether the forceful contact was made without player Wighton using or attempting to use both of his arms to tackle, the Panel was satisfied that player Wighton did not use, or attempt to use, his left arm to effect a tackle at all. The Panel was also satisfied that at the material time, player Wighton’s right arm was effectively locked by his side. As a consequence of those factors, the Panel was satisfied that the contact was made without using, or attempting to use, both of the arms.
As to the fourth question, the Panel was satisfied that the player acted carelessly by twisting towards player Rudolf, turning his head to the left, looking down but continuing to make a forceful impact with the right shoulder, regardless of the danger that was posed in all of the circumstances.

The Panel then turned to consider the issue of grading which was raised by the player following the finding of guilt and its determination was again unanimous. In the Panel’s view, the appropriate grading was a Grade 2. There were two primary factors which led the Panel to that view.

The first was the level of force described above. The second was the level of carelessness which was demonstrated by player Wighton.

Whilst the Panel was sympathetic to the circumstances which were faced by player Wighton, its findings as to his carelessness involved a number of separate acts or omissions on his part, namely:

twisting towards player Rudolf;
proceeding on the trajectory that he had adopted;
turning his head to the left and thus losing sight of player Rudolf; and
continuing to make forceful contact in circumstances where an obvious risk of injury had been created.

Those factors were, in the Panels’ view, demonstrative of a high level of carelessness which was inconsistent with a Grade 1 offence.

The Honourable GJ Bellew SC

Judiciary Chairperson

Jack Wighton judiciary recap

7.53pm Jack Wighton has been found GUILTY of a Grade 2 and suspended for four matches.

7.44pm Ghabar replied: “There is no doubt there was shoulder on shoulder contact. It is certainly at the lower end of seriousness”.

7.39pm Knowles urged the panel to place weight on the fact that there was no other player in the tackle. “In light of the force, in light of the risk of injury and in light of the actual injury, this is a Grade 2 offence,” he said.

7.32pm Jack Wighton has been found GUILTY. Judiciary chair Geoff Bellew said the decision was unanimous. Ghabar is now disputing the grading and says Wighton is only guilty of a Grade 1 shoulder charge. If the panel agrees he will be suspended for two matches, not four matches.

7.31pm The hearing has reconvened to hear the verdict.

7.16pm The hearing has adjourned for the panel to consider the evidence.

6.58pm Judiciary chairman Bellew is now giving instructions to the panel members before they consider a verdict. Bellew told the panel that Wighton had no obligation to testify and they shouldn’t draw any conclusion from his decision not to.

6.57pm Knowles questioned why Wighton hadn’t given evidence and been available to cross examination.

6.52pm Knowles is now responding to Ghabar and invited the panel to watch the video to see the force of contact. “Mr Ghabar himself described the contact as shoulder to shoulder, not contact with the head or neck. He misses the point. Player Wighton has not been charged with Dangerous Contact. What I took from Mr Ghabar’s submission is a suggestion that there was nothing else Mr Wighton could do.”

6.49pm Ghabar cited the Cronulla medical report which said Rudolf was injured in a head clash. He said the head contact was accidental. Using another still photo, he said that Rudolf’s lower face connected with the side of Wighton’s head.

6.46pm Ghabar said Wighton did attempt to use his arms in effecting the tackle on Rudolf and maintained front on contact was made. “It’s shoulder on shoulder contact. It never comes into contact with head.”

6.37pm Ghabar denied that Wighton had made a last-second decision to make a shoulder charge. He referred to the referee’s report in which Belinda Sharpe said Wighton told her on the field: “I couldn’t get my arm out”.

6.35pm Ghabar has shown a still photo which he says that Wighton is in a seated position and their heads are at about the same height.

He said Wighton was trying to avoid a head clash.

“Player Rudolf steps quite violently back toward the left. At this point there is almost inevitably going to be a head clash if player Wighton hadn’t dipped. There was a head clash but if player Wighton hadn’t taken evasive action it would have been much worse. I’m not saying that player Rudolf is to blame but this is a decision that had to be made in a split second. What was done was done to avoid a head collision.”

6.27pm Nick Ghabar is now beginning his defence. He said Wighton had intended to make a right arm tackle but Rudolf stepped off his left foot. “He was attempting to avoid head contact. There is an element of self-preservation but there is also an element of trying to prevent contact with player Rudolf’s head, because player Rudolf was leading with his head.”

6.20pm Knowles read from the medical report provided by the Sharks and detailed how Rudolf had been taken from the field for a HIA and would be sidelined for a minimum of 11 days. “Not only was there a risk of injury but there was an injury.”

6.17pm Referring to the video footage, Knowles said: “Player Rudolf steps off his left foot and at this point player Wighton’s knees are bent and he forcefully rolls his right shoulder and generates force by driving upwards. The force of the impact knocked player Rudolf to the ground. The force generated by a shoulder charge is significantly higher than a normal tackle with arms and the risk of injury is higher.”

6.12pm NRL legal counsel, Patrick Knowles, SC, asked the panel to consider four questions:
– was there forceful contact
– was that forceful contact generated by the shoulder or upper arm
– were there arms involved in the tackle
– was it careless.

6.09pm The hearing has been shown video footage using numerous camera angles of Wighton’s tackle on Sharks forward Toby Rudolf.

6.02pm The hearing is underway with the NRL judiciary panel comprising of former player Bob Lindner and ex-referee Greg McCallum.

Jack Wighton is represented by Nick Ghabar SC, who has indicated that he will be tendering still photos as part of the defence’s evidence.

The judiciary hearing is chaired by the Honourable Geoffrey Bellew, SC.