JACK Wighton has already represented NSW and Australia but this weekend he’ll get a taste of what it’s like to be in a NSW State of Origin camp.
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The Orange product was selected in the final squad of 35 to attend the NSW Rugby League Origin Pathways Camp from Friday.
It will be an intensive three-day camp headed by NSW State of Origin head coach Laurie Daley and assistant Trent Barrett.
Players will arrive on Friday afternoon and go straight into a one-hour skill session.
They will have an official introduction after dinner and a speaker will talk to them about what it takes to play Origin.
On Saturday they will have a further two skill sessions, each followed by recovery sessions.
They will also have some time looking at sports psychology.
On Sunday morning the squad will have a group activity and finish with a review of the camp.
The camp is for players aged between 18 and 20 and is designed to give them an insight into what a State of Origin camp would be like.
Wighton has already had plenty of representative experience playing for his state and country.
In 2010 he was selected in the Australian Schoolboys side.
Last year he was selected as the NSW under 18s captain when the side took on Queensland.
In October this year he was selected in the Junior Kangaroos.
His selection to attend the Origin Pathways camp caps off a see-sawing year for Wighton.
This year he has shared his time between the Canberra Raiders’ NRL and Toyota Cup sides.
He played Toyota Cup in the opening round of the season but was called up to the NRL side in round two.
Wighton played eight NRL games before needing surgery to repair ligament damage in his big toe.
The Orange CYMS and Bloomfield junior was sidelined for four months before making his return in the Toyota Cup side’s 39-38 win over the Warriors in early September.
Wighton then started in the Raider’s NRL semi-final against South Sydney but the Bunnies came out on top 38- 16.
All up Wighton played nine NRL games for the Raiders this year and scored two tries, while also making 69 tackles and taking 80 hit ups.
Wighton is one of four players from the Western region to earn a place in the camp.
Penrith’s Toby Evans (Parkes) and the Dragons’ Jacob Neill (Nyngan) and Charly Runciman (Dubbo) will also attend the three-day camp.
The camp will be held at Narrabeen’s Sydney Academy of Sport and run from this Friday to Sunday.
