FOR a fleeting moment after Sunday’s come-from-behind 24-22 NRL victory over the Melbourne Storm, there would have been a few heart flutters from the Canberra Raiders faithful watching on well after the full-time siren sounded.
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After prop Paul Vaughan scored the match-winner for the Raiders to break a six-game losing streak at GIO Stadium, Orange product Jack Wighton put on a show for the Green Machine fans with a stunning back flip in celebration.
Ruled out for the rest of his debut year following a toe injury sustained in a trampoline accident two years ago, Wighton laughs when the similarities between his two most recent acrobatic stunts are made.
The 21-year-old said Sunday’s flip was simply a thank you to the 10,941-strong crowd.
“The crowd turned up for us there on Sunday,” the Bloomfield and Orange CYMS junior said.
“It was just one of those things. A bit of a muck around.”
Debuting on the wing before playing the majority of 2013 in the centres, Wighton has been steady without being brilliant in seven games for the Raiders at five-eighth this season.
“It’s been slow,” the young pivot admits looking at his transition into the halves.
“But it has been good. I’m just trying to learn something new each week. There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Following the two-point win over the Storm, the Raiders now sit in 12th place on the National Rugby League ladder with three wins from the opening seven rounds of the premiership.
Wighton believes Sunday’s win over Melbourne - redemption of sorts after the Storm flogged Canberra 68-4 at the same venue last season - will give the Green Machine plenty of confidence ahead of a tough month of football.
Canberra play Manly at Brookvale Oval in their next clash before taking on the New Zealand Warriors at Eden Park and then both Penrith and North Queensland at GIO Stadium.
“I think it’s going to be great for us,” Wighton said reflecting on the win over the Storm.
“It’s been a bit of a battle for us the last few weeks and we’ve only been a step off. It’s nice to see us take that final step and come away with a pretty good win.”