It is the position that he came to prominence in as a blockbusting ball-carrier in the Holden Cup and now, just three games into his budding NRL career Brenko Lee will have the opportunity to showcase his prodigious wares at centre.
With Wighton ruled out for 2-4 weeks with a broken thumb, Lee has been shifted from wing to centre to fill in for the Country Origin representative.
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For any experts that are doubting whether Lee will be able to handle the increased involvement in both defence and attack that comes with a shift from wing to centre, the man he is replacing has put any concerns to bed.
“I think Brenko will kill it in the centres this week,” Wighton said. “It’s his favourite position and the position that suits him best.
“He’s got very good feet, good pace and great, natural awareness in attack. He will love being closer to the action at centre.
“I had never played with him until his debut in the NRL but I remember watching him destroy teams in the Under 20’s palying centre and thinking ‘jeez this kid is going to be a star one day.”
Lee admitted after his debut against the Bulldogs in Round 15 that he struggled at times with his nerves which led to a few uncharacteristic errors.
What those errors over shadowed though were the terrific scoots out of dummy half and the tough carries that he made coming out from Canberra’s red zone.
“Everyone remembers the few errors from his debut but what they don’t remember is the great runs from dummy half and all the hard yards he made for us coming out of our end,” Wighton enthused. “I thought he went unreal for his first NRL game.”
Those nerves were obliterated in his second outing in the top grade where the 19 year old scored two scintillating tries, ran for 127 metres and registered two tackle breaks and one handy offload.
“He wasn’t as nervous against the Tigers and it showed,” Wighton continued. “He scored two awesome tries and made even more metres than the previous week.
“People don’t realise that he’s never played wing before and if he was going that well in a different position, just think how good he will be playing in his natural position!
“Brenko is a confident guy who I reckon will thrive with the added pressure of being closer to the action by playing centre.
“I’ve got no doubt that he will be a success in the centres against the Titans this week. I can’t wait to see him do well and I wish him all the best.
“Hopefully I still have a spot in the team when I come back from injury!,” Wighton laughed.
