Latest news with #Wighton
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
South Sydney star Jack Wighton cops three-game ban for divisive shoulder charge on Toby Rudolf
Jack Wighton has received a three-game ban for his divisive shoulder charge on Toby Rudolf in a blow to depleted South Sydney's hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon. Video replays cast doubt as to whether Wighton made high contact with his shoulder or whether he'd simply clashed heads with the Cronulla prop in Souths' 14-12 loss on Saturday night. 'Contact is head on head but it's a shoulder charge with no attempt to wrap (your arms to make a tackle),' referee Belinda Sharpe told Wighton as she sin-binned him. Wighton has since been cited for a grade-two shoulder charge and will miss upcoming games against Brisbane, Gold Coast and Parramatta with an early guilty plea. The second two of those fixtures shape as pivotal for the Rabbitohs in their fight to avoid the first wooden spoon of Wayne Bennett's coaching career. Wighton would miss a fourth match against St George Illawarra if he unsuccessfully challenged his charge. The suspension compounds Souths' well-documented personnel crisis; a total of 13 first-graders missed Saturday night's gallant loss to the top-eight hopeful Sharks. Wighton joins Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker, Campbell Graham and Cameron Murray among other big names on the sidelines at last-placed Souths. Jamie Humphreys looms as the likeliest man to join Lewis Dodd in the halves next week provided he shakes off concussion symptoms. Rudolf went from the field for a head injury assessment and was deemed unable to return so will miss Cronulla's next match against North Queensland. Wighton and Bennett were both tight-lipped on the shot after Saturday's game but Souths found an unlikely ally in rival coach Craig Fitzgibbon. 'I don't really have an issue,' said the Sharks coach. 'He was just trying to shift energy for his team. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong.' Fitzgibbon noted Cronulla had 'been on the wrong end' of similar calls in the past. Now retired, Sharks forward Dale Finucane received a two-game ban for a similar shot on Stephen Crichton in 2022. Finucane avoided the sin bin on that occasion and took his case to the NRL judiciary to plead that he had only clashed heads with the then-Penrith centre. But the forward's guilty verdict was upheld on appeal. Elsewhere, Gold Coast rookie Sean Mullany has been offered a one-game ban for his hip-drop tackle on Demetric Vaimauga from the final minutes of the Titans' shock win over the Warriors.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Former AFL umpire has licence suspended, placed on good behaviour
Disgraced former AFL umpire Troy Pannell has had his driver's licence suspended for six months and has been placed on good behaviour which could have him escape criminal conviction. Pannell, appearing via video link before magistrate Michael Wighton at the Heidelberg Magistrates Court on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to a series of charges, including stealing a car and twice failing to stop for police. He pleaded guilty to having stolen a white Hyundai Tucson valued at $45,000, and an Apple iPhone13 and Microsoft laptop on May 12 from his employer. The car and the two items were suspected by police of being the proceeds of crime. He had also failed to stop for police in the Murray River town of Cobram on May 30, and again in the rural western Victoria town of Wheatsheaf on June 8. Wighton took into consideration that Pannell, 49, had already been in custody for 48 days. Loading 'In relation to all of the charges, given your lack of prior criminal history, and the time that you have served in custody, whilst the court could impose a financial penalty, instead I am simply going to adjourn these charges for a period of six months,' Wighton said. 'I am going to ask you to make a promise to the court to be on good behaviour for that period of time. If you don't breach that promise, these charges will stand as dismissed by the court. There won't be a conviction recorded.' Pannell thanked Wighton, his only comment during the hearing, where his mental health deterioration was outlined.
The Age
6 days ago
- The Age
Former AFL umpire has licence suspended, placed on good behaviour
Disgraced former AFL umpire Troy Pannell has had his driver's licence suspended for six months and has been placed on good behaviour which could have him escape criminal conviction. Pannell, appearing via video link before magistrate Michael Wighton at the Heidelberg Magistrates Court on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to a series of charges, including stealing a car and twice failing to stop for police. He pleaded guilty to having stolen a white Hyundai Tucson valued at $45,000, and an Apple iPhone13 and Microsoft laptop on May 12 from his employer. The car and the two items were suspected by police of being the proceeds of crime. He had also failed to stop for police in the Murray River town of Cobram on May 30, and again in the rural western Victoria town of Wheatsheaf on June 8. Wighton took into consideration that Pannell, 49, had already been in custody for 48 days. Loading 'In relation to all of the charges, given your lack of prior criminal history, and the time that you have served in custody, whilst the court could impose a financial penalty, instead I am simply going to adjourn these charges for a period of six months,' Wighton said. 'I am going to ask you to make a promise to the court to be on good behaviour for that period of time. If you don't breach that promise, these charges will stand as dismissed by the court. There won't be a conviction recorded.' Pannell thanked Wighton, his only comment during the hearing, where his mental health deterioration was outlined.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fans demand answers to brutal 'curse' as Souths rocked after $25 million move
South Sydney officials have previously denied the 'Heffron curse' is real but the club's latest injury nightmare has sparked fresh concerns from fans. The Rabbitohs moved from their traditional training base at Redfern Oval into the $25 million centre of excellence at Heffron Park in 2023, but it's coincided with a staggering injury toll that has only gotten worse heading into the NRL's Magic Round. Veteran Jack Wighton became the latest Rabbitohs star ruled out of Saturday's game against Newcastle at Suncorp Stadium with injury. Wighton was named at five-eighth on Tuesday but missed training with a calf injury on Wednesday and the club has revealed he's now set to be sidelined for at least the next four weeks. Wighton joins a mounting casualty ward at the Rabbitohs that also includes skipper Cody Walker, Jamie Humphreys, Cam Murray and Alex Johnston. Superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell is also suspended for the Knights clash, with coach Wayne Bennett set to finally hand Lewis Dodd his first start in the halves after deciding to overlook the English recruit on numerous occasions. But it's the latest injury for Wighton that has left many Souths fans questioning what is going wrong at the club and whether it has something to do with their Heffron Park training headquarters or the club's high performance staff. Wighton's calf complaint comes after Walker was ruled out for five weeks with a calf injury, having also battled a hamstring issue and a calf strain in pre-season. Mitchell and Murray were also injured during pre-season training, with the latter ruled out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Tevita Tatola and Campbell Graham have also experienced injury concerns this season, leading many fans to call out the 'Heffron curse' since the club moved its new training complex. Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly already came out earlier in the season to deny the club's training facilities had anything to do with the staggering injury toll at the club, but the latest setbacks have left fans demanding answers. 'We actually got the playing surface checked by independent specialists three weeks ago, and it was perfect,' Souths CEO Solly said earlier this year. 'Some of the soft-tissue injuries we had last pre-season were not even at Heffron Park. They happened when we were training at Redfern before Christmas whilst Heffron was unavailable." Heffron Park jinx is real. The injuries have been insane since they left Redfern. — Brad Morgan (@BradMor54822174) April 30, 2025 Jack Wighton is set to miss a month of action with a calf injury sustained at training this week. It's likely UK recruit Lewis Dodd will get his first NRL start at halfback. The curse of Heffron Park continues to haunt the Rabbitohs. — The League Scene (@LeagueScenePod) May 1, 2025 Wighton out for 3-4 weeks with a calf injury. What is going on at Heffron Park? Dodd the last man standing, getting his opportunity now. #GoRabbitohs — Ben B (@Benb55) April 30, 2025 Old man injuries? Or Heffron Park injuries? That is the question. — Homer Wells 🇺🇦 (@gmnty) April 24, 2025 The injury setback for Wighton has left Souths coach Bennett with little choice but to start Dodd in the halves after using Humphreys, Walker, Jayden Sullivan, Mitchell, Wighton and even back-up fullback Jye Gray over the $650,000 English import previously. Dodd was expected to start the season in the No.7 jersey but suspension handed Humphreys his chance. And the young recruit from Manly took his chance until a hamstring injury sidelined him. Another suspension cost Dodd the chance to make his starting debut in the halves previously, but the former English Super League star is determined to make his latest opportunity count. "I didn't think it was going to be easy, I didn't think everything was going to go my own way," said Dodd, who has played two games from the bench so far. "I wouldn't have had it any other way. It's made me a better person and a better player at the end of the day and that's all I can ask for." Dodd won the 2021 Super League grand final and 2023 World Club Challenge during a five-year stint at St Helens but admits the NRL is on another level. "The game's obviously a bit different to back home in England, there's a lot more high percentage plays and just the ins and outs of the NRL, the week-to-week grind of it," he said. "I know I had to work on some things in my game and learn this competition. "That'll make me a better player. It's been a long time coming, it feels like, but (the waiting) will also be beneficial at the end of the day." Souths' mounting injury toll and Mitchell's suspension means Bennett is set to name Tatola as his fifth-choice captain for the clash against an out-of-sorts Newcastle side that is hoping to avoid a sixth-straight defeat. with AAP
Perth Now
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Waiting for halves chance made me a better man: Dodd
Lewis Dodd says he's become a better person for his long wait to start a game in South Sydney's halves. After eight weeks biding his time, hotly-anticipated English recruit Dodd is poised to replace the injured Jack Wighton in the halves against Newcastle in the NRL's Magic Round on Saturday. Wighton was named at five-eighth on Tuesday but missed training with a calf injury on Wednesday and did not travel with the team to Brisbane the following day. He is likely to miss the next month of action, joining a Souths casualty ward that includes fellow big names Cody Walker, Jamie Humphreys, Cam Murray and Alex Johnston. Souths coach Wayne Bennett is set to finally call on Dodd after preferencing Humphreys, Walker, Jayden Sullivan, Latrell Mitchell, Wighton and even back-up fullback Jye Gray as starting halves across the opening two months. Two suspensions also worked against Dodd, who was signed before the Rabbitohs lured Bennett back to the club for a second stint in charge. But despite pre-season tips he would snare Souths' No.7 jumper for round one, Dodd always expected he'd have to work hard and be patient for a chance to start. "I didn't think it was going to be easy, I didn't think everything was going to go my own way," said Dodd, who has played two games from the bench so far. "I wouldn't have had it any other way. It's made me a better person and a better player at the end of the day and that's all I can ask for." Dodd won the 2021 Super League grand final and 2023 World Club Challenge during a five-year stint at English powerhouse St Helens. But the 23-year-old has nevertheless found challenges in adjusting to the NRL. "The game's obviously a bit different to back home in England, there's a lot more high percentage plays and just the ins and outs of the NRL, the week-to-week grind of it," he said. "I know I had to work on some things in my game and learn this competition. "That'll make me a better player. It's been a long time coming, it feels like, but (the waiting) will also be beneficial at the end of the day." After weeks being patient, Dodd was rapt to phone home to England and tell his loved ones the good news. "It was a nice phone call just saying, 'I might be starting' and for it to be at Magic Round, that'll be a pretty special memory that I'll look back on some day," he said with a smile. Injuries to Murray, Walker and Wighton, as well as Mitchell's suspension, have left Souths to name their fifth-choice captain for an intriguing clash against out-of-sorts Newcastle. Jai Arrow, the last fit member of the leadership group, is poised to be appointed skipper as Souths fight to snap a three-game losing streak. "I guess I'm the last one left out of the leadership group so someone's got to hold the fort down. I'm happy to do that," he said.
