South Sydney Rabbitohs centre Jack Wighton has confirmed he will be unavailable to play for the New South Wales Blues this year.
Wighton officially hung up the boots from the representative arena ahead of the 2023 series, but suggested at the time he would consider a return in the future.
The former long-time Canberra Raider wanted to see out his time in the Nation's Capital with full focus on his club side, and it appears the same reason is behind his motive to remain a non-representative player in 2024.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Wighton is fully dedicated to the Rabbitohs' cause, and his desire is to repay the club for the contract they gave him during the most recently-completed off-season.
“I want to give my full attention to Souths and repay them for bringing me here,” Wighton told the publication.
“If I can keep my body a little fresher by [staying out] of that representative arena, I'm a better chance of doing that.
“I have a good relationship with ‘Madge' [Maguire]. I had him down in Canberra. We can talk like mates.
“We had a few chats here and there. At times [I was close to making myself available]."
Wighton's move to the Rabbitohs is one which has been widely questioned, with the club at this stage not moving him into the halves despite a disastrous start to the season.
Now under the interim coaching of Ben Hornby following the axing of Jason Demetriou, the Rabbitohs have won just one of their first nine games ahead of Magic Round this weekend where they will take on the North Queensland Cowboys.
Wighton missed the start of the season, but has been one of South Sydney's better performers in the centres since performing.
He may well have been in the mix for an Origin jumper after a disastrous weekend for the Blues, with both Tom Trbojevic and Nathan Cleary succumbing to hamstring injuries.
Maguire will pick his side for Origin 1 at the conclusion of Round 12 in the NRL.