Former St Helens playmaker Lewis Dodd has spoken after his first full week in training with South Sydney Rabbitohs, explaining why he chose the Bunnies, what he makes of the NRL pressure, and what really went on in that viral interaction with Wayne Bennett.
Dodd is the latest in a string of young English stars to make the switch to the NRL but interestingly, he’s one of very few backs to make the move. Primarily, Super League departees have been forwards with Kai Pearce-Paul, Morgan Smithies and now Matty Nicholson moving Down Under.
Will Pryce is among the only other playmaker since George Williams to test themselves in the NRL with the former Huddersfield man generally limited to the New South Wales Cup in 2024.
For Dodd, the path to a starting berth looks far simpler, especially given that Lachlan Ilias has recently departed the club, and the former St Helens man has now spoken on the NRL preparations he made whilst still in England.
“When I knew I was coming I started watching every game as if I was already at South Sydney,” Dodd revealed to The Daily Telegraph.
“I was doing a review on each game and trying to learn as much as I could off the TV. I wanted to see how they play and how certain people and what positions they take up.”
Swapping St Helens for South Sydney Rabbitohs
Credit: Ed Sykes/SWpix.com
Dodd will play alongside Cody Walker in the halves and there will be plenty of expectation on him given the reported $700,000 he is to be paid yearly. Atop that is the fact that in the NRL, the media coverage is tenfold that of Super League but the 22-year-old has invited the pressure to push him to perform better.
Speaking on pressure, Dodd explained: “That’s why you play as well. If there is pressure on you to play well every week it puts the responsibility on me to make sure I get things right.
“I’ll hang my hat on competing in every play and being in the picture in every play. If I do that, I don’t think I can go too far wrong.”
Dodd was part of a St Helens side that endured a tough 2024 and he now heads into the furnace at Souths who had an even worse year, finishing well outside the play-offs and just off the foot of the table.
Despite that, he’s joining a team that is widely regarded as an NRL powerhouse, something that influenced his decision to make the move Down Under.
Revealing that his manager had confirmed interest from Souths, Dodd explained: “I couldn’t speak. I’d never been speechless before. I’d always watched Souths closely because there had always been an English person playing for them.
“Whenever I asked someone about South Sydney, I thought everyone was reading off the same script because they were all saying the same thing. Family club and they will support, and help you.
“So far they’ve done all that and more.”
Meeting Wayne Bennett and how injury issues shaped his decision
Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Dodd took part in his first week of training at the club last week and that saw him making acquaintances with all of those at the club, including head coach Wayne Bennett.
That led to a widely-shared moment where Bennett labelled Dodd as ‘the Pommy’, something that the former St Helens man has now labelled as ‘brilliant’.
“That was just Wayne, being Wayne. It was pretty hard not to laugh at it. It’s been funny seeing the reaction. Straight after some of the boys thought I was offended but I couldn’t stop laughing.”
Despite that, Dodd did concede that he’d looked for assurances about Bennett given that the former England boss was in charge at the Dolphins when Dodd was signed, leading to one comment from Bennett at the time where he claimed to have never watched the St Helens star.
On Bennett, Dodd explained: “I was a little bit unsure if he wanted me because he wasn’t the coach when I signed. The people I was speaking to at the club they reassured me that he wanted me.
“When I first spoke to him I got that assurance from him. I was nervous but excited to see him. Straight from the first conversation, he put my mind at ease that as long as I come here, work hard and keep my head down and I will be all right.”
The 22-year-old half also explained how previous injuries helped guide his decision, noting: “One thing I’ve learnt from having a long-term injury was that your career is short. You might get an opportunity one week and it might not be there a week after.
“The feeling I got from Souths just added to my belief that it was the right time. I get the best out of myself when I realise I’m OK at not being the best at something or knowing everything about a certain part of life.”
