Granted permission to leave the South Sydney Rabbitohs, English international Lewis Dodd has caught the attention of another team who are aiming to sign him for next season.
Attempting to find the right halves combination, coach Wayne Bennett made three new transfers ahead of this year, bringing in Jamie Humphreys, Lewis Dodd and Jayden Sullivan from the Manly Sea Eagles, St Helens RLFC and Wests Tigers.
While Humphreys and Sullivan have both exceeded expectations, the same can’t be said for Dodd, who has so far failed to live up to the hype of his signing and expensive contract and has spent the majority of his tenure in the NSW Cup.
Having featured in only six NRL matches this season, with limited game time in those appearances, Dodd hasn’t been able to make an impact and has been overlooked in favour of several other players, including Jack Wighton and Jye Gray.
Although he is contracted for another two seasons until the end of 2027, Dodd has found himself offered to teams in the Super League, with the Catalans Dragons expressing an interest in signing him for next season after losing Luke Keary and Theo Fages, per All Out Rugby League.
This comes after Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett told him he is free to exit the club.
A possible move to the Catalans will see him accompany Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs playmaker Toby Sexton in the halves, who recently agreed to join them on a two-year contract.
However, it is understood that the Rabbitohs would need to contribute a significant amount of money to cover his contract, as the Dragons are unlikely to offer him a package of what he is currently on – around $650,0000 a season.
“We won’t always get it right. It might not even be his form, it might be his ability. You work it out,” Bennett said recently.
“He’s in a tough place. The harshest thing that can happen to a player is to be told you’re not in first grade, when you think you should be a first-grader.
“I won’t add to it. People can work it out for themselves.”
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