‘He looks like Iron Man’: Jamie Humphreys favoured to keep halfback spot ahead of Lewis Dodd for Dragons clash

Monday’s training session suggests the race for the South Sydney No.7 jersey could be over.

His teammates reckon he looks like Iron Man, and the stark reality is that Jamie Humphreys will play halfback for South Sydney again this week on the back of his tremendous club debut in the win over the Dolphins.

The one-time Sea Eagle got the nod at halfback in round 1 with English recruit Lewis Dodd suspended, and he looks set to retain the No.7 jersey after he did most of the reps in Monday’s session at Heffron Park.

Dodd had a pink rehab bib and wasn’t with the main group, with the high-profile recruit doing some kicking drills at the end of the session that suggests he won’t be recalled for the clash against the Dragons on Saturday.

It means Humphreys will again steer the side around the park after he had a league-high 711 kicking metres in round 1, while the bulked-up playmaker also made 24 tackles having also starred in attack in the Charity Shield.

Jamie Humphreys looks set to face the Dragons again after starring in last month’s Charity Shield. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

“He looks like Iron Man,” edge forward Keaon Koloamatangi said, joking that no one would beat Humphreys in an arm wrestle.

“He’s really good, he’s not much of a talker off the field, but on the field he talks a lot and mainly leads with his actions.

“Being the halfback of the Rabbitohs, you need to step up and be a really big focal point of the team. He did a great job in his first game. He’s improving each week.”

Souths coach Wayne Bennett joked on Friday that we’d have to wait for the teams to be released on Tuesday to find out whether Humphreys would keep his job, while the man himself welcomed the competition with Dodd for the role.

The youngster is making waves on the field and is equally impressive off it, with Humphreys making a point of walking over to media and shaking everyone’s hand at the end of the session.

Humphreys kicked the Dolphins into submission last week. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“I thought he was really calm, he was composed,” fullback Jye Gray said.

“The times that we couldn’t get out of our own end, he’d put boot to ball and we’d all be on the chase line. He was really composed when we were attacking the line as well.

“He’s actually a really quiet guy around the change rooms but whenever you talk to him, he’s really polite, and he’s just calm and composed out on the footy field when we’re training. He’s a cool guy.

“Obviously, getting thrown in at halfback was a step up and he took it with both hands and excelled on the weekend.”

While he’s not the loudest guy in the group, the forwards were impressed with his willingness to speak up during the game to make sure everyone was doing their job.

“His calmness (impressed me the most). He’s quite calm out there and he doesn’t really say much, but the way that he took over and guided everyone and told us middles where to go was a big thing for him,” prop Junior Tatola said.

“Away from the field, he’s pretty calm. He doesn’t say too much, but he’s pretty professional with the way he does things and looks after his body.

“You can tell that because he’s got a good rig on him.”

Tyrone Munro is facing another stint on the sidelines after he suffered another collarbone injury. Picture: NRL

Halfback isn’t the only position up in the air, with centre Jack Wighton out suspended, while luckless winger Tyrone Munro is out with another collarbone injury.

Fletcher Myers is in line for one spot, while Bayleigh Bentley-Hape is in the mix to make his debut after he starred with two tries in NSW Cup.