Wighton, 19, will make his NRL debut on the wing against the Gold Coast Titans tonight, replacing Reece Robinson who is out injured for up to five weeks with a depressed fracture of the cheekbone.

The talented five-eighth has already been touted as the Raiders’ next big thing, following in the footsteps of the likes of NSW State of Origin fullback Josh Dugan.

Tongue, who played 220 games for Canberra, wasn’t shy in his praise of the game’s newest Raider.

“He’s an exciting talent this kid,” Tongue said.

“I’ve seen him play in the under 20s and he trained against the NRL squad last year, I’ve got huge raps on him.”

Wighton overcame a grade two dangerous throw charge during the week, which threatened to sideline him for two weeks.

Tongue didn’t think the judiciary hearing would hinder Wighton’s performance.

“It’s been a rollercoaster week, but sometimes distractions can be handy,” he said.

“I know when I made my NRL debut I didn’t know until two days before, so I wasn’t focused on it all week and it helped me relax.

Arguably Canberra’s greatest five-eighth, Laurie Daley got his first chance in the top grade in the centres, moving into the halves later in his career.

Daley said Wighton will benefit from debuting out wide.

“I think it’s a good grounding to stay out wide and get a better appreciation of what the guys inside do,” Daley said.