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A birthday bash could sink Jack Wighton’s career after the damning charges levelled against the Canberra Raiders fullback were revealed on Monday. Wighton will face the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday on three charges of reckless or intentionally inflicting actual bodily harm, five counts of common assault, and urinating in a public place. The 25-year-old will face nine charges in total but is expected to be named in Ricky Stuart's squad on Tuesday to face the Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium on Saturday. The maximum penalty for assault occasioning actual bodily harm is a five year jail sentence. It is believed Wighton was celebrating his birthday with friends before the alleged incidents outside a Civic nightclub on February 3. Details have not yet been made public, but it is understood Wighton had been urinating in a Civic alleyway before a confrontation with the alleged victims. Reports indicate at least three people were assaulted outside the Academy nightclub. It is understood ACT Policing have examined CCTV footage of the alleged incident involving Wighton after officers received reports of three assaults between 2.45am and 3am near Bible Lane before attending a disturbance at about 3.10am at the intersection of Mort and Bunda streets. The Raiders refused to field questions about Wighton's looming court date however five-eighth Aidan Sezer confirmed he has been at training with the club sticking by the fullback. Wighton is set to be continue playing for the Green Machine while discarded five-eighth Blake Austin is poised to earn a recall to face the Eels. It will force yet another shift in the halves combination with the Raiders struggling to find the right mix during the early stages of their 2018 campaign. However Sezer - who will likely shift to halfback to accommodate Austin - says he won't have any dramas in continuing his impressive return to form with a new combination to worry about. "It shouldn’t be [an issue] because me and Blake have played a lot of footy [together] in the past and if he steps in I’m sure he’ll do a job," Sezer said. "[Parramatta] are a quality team. They haven’t got the results they’ve been after but we’ll take that with a grain of salt. "They’ll be very desperate when they come down here and in the times we've played them in the recent fixtures it’s been a very tough game. "They’ve got a lot of quality across the park so we’ll have our work cut out for us." Austin and Ata Hingano are vying for the second spot in the halves, with the man that misses out likely to slot into the No. 14 jersey. It will force Raiders hooker Siliva Havili to feed a new combination for the third time in just his sixth game for the club, but that isn't weighing on the 25-year-old's mind. Havili believes having a player of Austin's stature in reserve grade is a massive nod to the depth of the Green Machine. "It’s good depth for us, a quality player like Blake. He can just come in and do a job, he is a threat with the ball and even with the stuff off the ball that he does," Havili said. "He’ll come straight into the team like he was [always] in there. We’re looking to do some combinations and hopefully we get that for this weekend’s game. "The depth is good. He’s played a lot with Sezer, their partnership has been going for a few years. They both know how they play, it’s just about myself and adjusting to certain styles they play. "That’s something we can work on during the week." NRL ROUND SIX Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels at Canberra Stadium, 7.35pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.

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