New Blues coach Michael Maguire plans to gauge Jack Wighton’s interest about coming out of representative retirement for next year’s State of Origin series.
Maguire was officially unveiled as the next man to lead the Blues on Thursday, with the former South Sydney and New Zealand coach revealing incumbency will hold no weight when he picks his side next year.
Undoubtedly, James Tedesco’s place in the team at fullback will be one of the most contentious selections for Maguire, with the NSW coach wanting to widen the net when it comes to selection.
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And Wighton’s return could be the most intriguing after the South Sydney recruit made himself unavailable for representative selection for last season’s interstate matches.
Maguire told The Sydney Morning Herald he will speak to Wighton once the time is right.
“When you’ve got a clean sheet you’re definitely going to chat to everyone that might be available to you,” he said.
“I’m very fond of Jack. I had some quality time there with him at Canberra. He’s a big game player, everyone knows that.
“I’ll let him find his feet there at Souths and when the time’s right, we’ll have that conversation. I fully respect where he’s at and what he wants to do.”
Through his time as an assistant at Canberra, Maguire spent time with Wighton during his five eighth days, however, he’ll most likely play in the centres at the Rabbitohs.
“The big one is finding where he fits into Souths so he can play his best footy,” Maguire said.
“Off the back of that, when he’s playing his best footy, he’ll understand what he wants to achieve at a higher level. I’ll let that evolve as it goes.”