A Umina Bunnies junior, Heighington made his début for Wests Tigers in 2003.
He later said, "To be honest, I couldn't believe I was making my début.
It was a great experience.
It came so quickly.
I only started the pre-season at the end of 2002."
He made seven appearances from the bench that year, and was a backup again in 2004.
By 2005 he had cemented his place in the team and played from the interchange bench in the Tigers' 30–16 victory in the 2005 NRL grand final over the North Queensland Cowboys.
 Following the grand final victory, Heighington was interviewed by Channel 9 sideline commentator Matthew Johns.
 Johns asked Heighington to describe the feeling of winning the premiership.
 Heighington replied “Yeah mate it’s fucking awesome, you don’t know how to fucking ... there’s no words for it, it’s just fucking unbelievable".
 In the following days, the Wests Tigers club issued a statement apologising for the inappropriate language used by some of their players.

As NRL Premiers Wests faced Super League champions Bradford Bulls in the 2006 World Club Challenge.
Heighington played at second-row forward in the Tigers' 30–10 loss.

Heighington won the award for Wests Tigers' Player of the Year for 2008.
He was selected to play in the 2008 Country Origin side as well as the Prime Minister's XIII team which visited Papua New Guinea.
He was called into the 2009 Prime Minister's XIII for the injured Luke Lewis.

Before the start of the 2011 season, Ricky Stuart named Heighington in a "Blues in Waiting" squad, for potential future NSW State of Origin players.
He was described as one of the players, "on the cusp of selection."
He was considered by some unlucky to have not played State of Origin.

Having played in every game of the 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 seasons, Heighington set the record for most appearances by a Wests Tigers player in 2012, surpassing the milestone of 185 set by John Skandalis.

Described by team-mate Benji Marshall as, "the heart and soul of Wests Tigers on and off the field," the club controversially released him after failing to make the semi-finals in 2012.

Signing a three-year contract with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Heighington said, "'I don't know what to say except I'm a bit disappointed.
I thought I would be a one-team player but, at the end of the day, if the coach doesn't want you, he doesn't want you."
A Umina Bunnies junior, Heighington made his début for Wests Tigers in 2003. He later said, "To be honest, I couldn't believe I was making my début. It was a great experience. It came so quickly. I only started the pre-season at the end of 2002." He made seven appearances from the bench that year, and was a backup again in 2004. By 2005 he had cemented his place in the team and played from the interchange bench in the Tigers' 30–16 victory in the 2005 NRL grand final over the North Queensland Cowboys.  Following the grand final victory, Heighington was interviewed by Channel 9 sideline commentator Matthew Johns.  Johns asked Heighington to describe the feeling of winning the premiership.  Heighington replied “Yeah mate it’s fucking awesome, you don’t know how to fucking ... there’s no words for it, it’s just fucking unbelievable".  In the following days, the Wests Tigers club issued a statement apologising for the inappropriate language used by some of their players. 
As NRL Premiers Wests faced Super League champions Bradford Bulls in the 2006 World Club Challenge. Heighington played at second-row forward in the Tigers' 30–10 loss.
Heighington won the award for Wests Tigers' Player of the Year for 2008. He was selected to play in the 2008 Country Origin side as well as the Prime Minister's XIII team which visited Papua New Guinea. He was called into the 2009 Prime Minister's XIII for the injured Luke Lewis.
Before the start of the 2011 season, Ricky Stuart named Heighington in a "Blues in Waiting" squad, for potential future NSW State of Origin players. He was described as one of the players, "on the cusp of selection." He was considered by some unlucky to have not played State of Origin.
Having played in every game of the 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 seasons, Heighington set the record for most appearances by a Wests Tigers player in 2012, surpassing the milestone of 185 set by John Skandalis.
Described by team-mate Benji Marshall as, "the heart and soul of Wests Tigers on and off the field," the club controversially released him after failing to make the semi-finals in 2012.
Signing a three-year contract with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Heighington said, "'I don't know what to say except I'm a bit disappointed. I thought I would be a one-team player but, at the end of the day, if the coach doesn't want you, he doesn't want you."
Chris Heighington