English halfback Lewis Dodd has agreed a three-year deal to join South Sydney despite not having spoken to former coach Jason Demetriou or any of the club’s current coaching staff.
Dodd, 22, will have his NRL switch confirmed in the coming days and will join the embattled Rabbitohs as one of their highest profile recruits in years.
According to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to discuss the deal publicly, Dodd’s contract will keep him at the Rabbitohs until the end of 2027, leaving only Cameron Murray and Junior Tatola contracted for longer at the club. Both have deals until the end of 2028.
Dodd’s signing will be a major coup for the Rabbitohs, but it came without any conversation with Demetriou, who was axed on Tuesday night after South Sydney’s abysmal start to the season.
The wheels were instead put in motion by South Sydney officials, with head of football Mark Ellison flying to the United Kingdom this week to meet Dodd’s family and scout the Super League for other targets in the forwards.
Dodd will be somewhat familiar to South Sydney’s primary coaching target Wayne Bennett, who is firming to return to the Rabbitohs when he finishes as the Dolphins’ foundation coach this year.
South Sydney-bound halfback Lewis Dodd.Credit: Getty
Dodd made his English Super League debut for St Helens under Bennett’s Dolphins assistant Kristian Woolf, who was in charge of the English giants until the end of 2022. Bennett will hand over the reins at the Dolphins to Woolf next year.
Bennett has asked South Sydney for a three-year contract, which will align with that of the Rabbitohs’ new halfback.
Dodd’s rise to prominence for Australian audiences came when he kicked the World Club Challenge-winning field goal to beat Penrith last year.
But South Sydney will relish the possibility of landing a halfback who has a running game capable of tearing defences apart. Dodd has already bagged over 20 tries in his Super League career.
Dodd’s signed leaves Lachlan Ilias’ South Sydney future far from certain.
The 23-year-old halfback has been given permission to negotiate with rival clubs given Dodd’s imminent arrival. Ilias remains contracted until the end of next year, but shapes as being a peripheral figure at South Sydney.
Ilias is sidelined with a broken leg after suffering a horror injury in the NSW Cup clash against the Warriors. He was dropped to reserve grade after only two NRL matches this season, despite Demetriou previously claiming Ilias “would be the best halfback the club had for a long time”.
NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.