Canberra Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton is looking to inspire Riverina youngsters to follow their dreams as they get the chance to see some of the NRL's best in their own backyard on Saturday.
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The Orange product knows all too well the challenges it can bring so he can't wait to be back at Equex Centre on Saturday.
"There is nothing better than playing in front of a country crowd," Wighton said. "I'm really glad the NRL is taking games out there as a country kid I know how much it means to them and how special it is.
"If you look over the NRL so much talent does come from the country so it is always good to give back."
The Raiders received a big reception on their previous trip to Wagga in 2019.
It's been a tough month for the club, who have conceded at least 30 points in their last three losses but they will play in front of a sell out crowd against Newcastle Knights on Saturday and Wighton hopes the 'vibe' can translate to more success on the field.
"It's been a long month so it would be good if we could jump start that winning feeling in front of a country crowd," Wighton said.
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Wighton was thrown into the deep end when George Williams pulled out with a hamstring complaint in the warm up.
With Elliott Whitehead a makeshift five-eighth, more of the playmaking responsibilities fell on Wighton.
He's pleased to have the Englishman back in the side.
"Georgie is a key player in the team and we rely heavily on him," Wighton said.
"It was a big blow when he went down last week, we made do, but it will certainly be good to have him back on the park again."
Wighton also expects Papalii will boost their pack after he was rested last week.
"Big Joshy has been running around training and is ready to go," he said.
"Just the same as George he has a key role in the team and his get go is second to none. It is good to have the big fella back."
After winning their first two games of the year, the Raiders have lost five of their next six to slip out of the top eight.
"We've just got to play 80 minutes," he said.
"We've been focusing big time on our defence and if we can fix our defence it will go a long way towards getting the result."
Wighton crossed twice late against the Rabbitohs only to be denied on both occasions due to obstruction calls.
Coach Ricky Stuart was left frustrated with the two 'no try' calls but the NRL backed the decisions.
He was also angered by the lopsided penalty count against his side and it's something the side is looking to address against Newcastle.
Wighton said the players need to take responsibility for their ill-discipline at inopportune times.
"We're hurting ourselves in a lot of ways and we can really feel it, we're holding them inside our 30 and then last-tackle penalties," he said. "We're giving them away, it's something we can fix and something we can control, but we've got to change it soon because we're letting too many wins slip away."