Six-year-old Max Jamieson was inconsolable when the news broke yesterday: his favourite rugby league player, Jack Wighton, will leave the Canberra Raiders.
"He instantly broke down … and he asked me why he would leave," Max's father Luke Jamieson said.
“He's a huge fan. He has every [Raiders] jersey and almost wears nothing else."
Players moving between clubs is hardly unexpected in today's NRL.
But Raiders fans like Mr Jamieson and Max say Wighton's pending departure to South Sydney at the end of this season is different.
Wighton is rare: a genuine star who has been with the same club for his entire first-grade career.
Now aged 30, the playmaker has played 12 seasons and 224 games for the Raiders.
He also has a particularly close relationship with coach Ricky Stuart, who released a statement to fans today that went well beyond the usual thank-you to a departing player.
"I want to reassure you all that the club did everything possible to keep Jack at the Raiders and we wanted nothing more than to see him reach 300 games and become a one-club player," Stuart said.
"I want to let our loyal members and fans know that I bleed green as much as you do, and as much as it hurts today, our future is still ahead of us, and we will continue on the path we best see fit to give this club the success it deserves."
'It's very disruptive'
Raiders "superfan" Phoebe Glover, who has supported the club since it was created, said the news was expected but still a blow.
"I'm disappointed. We were hoping, like most fans, that he would stay a one-club man, but in today's world I don't think that was ever going to happen," she said.
The uncertainty over Wighton's contract had been public news since last month, when the player told the Raiders he would be testing his worth on the market.
More broadly, Ms Glover took aim at this mid-season jostling for contracts, saying it undermined enjoyment of the game.
"It's very disruptive, not only for us but for the players," Ms Glover said.
"We're sick of hearing everything in the media. It's all speculation; nothing was confirmed."
Wighton is believed to have shunned lucrative offers from the Raiders and Dolphins in signing a four-year deal with Souths, hoping the switch will lead to a premiership, which he has never won.
Former Raiders captain Terry Campese acknowledged that mid-season signings upset fans.
However, he said early contract negotiations can protect players' livelihoods if they suffer an injury or form slump towards the end of a season.
"It's a tough one, it's always talked about: when and how it should be negotiated," Campese said.
"But it's [allowed in] the rules at the moment and we just have to stick by them."
The good news for the Raiders is Wighton's pending departure frees up a lot of money in the salary cap.
The tougher task will be to find a new star worthy of it.
