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Lewis Dodd explains confusion after St Helens exit and how Wayne Bennett has unlocked his best

St Helens Lewis Dodd

Lewis Dodd has revealed the confusion he was plunged into after agreeing to leave St Helens with the Englishman moving to explain how South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has helped get the best out of him already.

The English playmaker entered the 2024 season knowing that it was the last year on his St Helens contract and it didn’t take long for reports of an NRL move to materialise.

Those reports were then realised when South Sydney Rabbitohs announced Dodd’s signing, however, the 23-year-old’s delight quickly turned to confusion when head coach Jason Demetriou was sacked.

The ex-Wakefield Trinity player was in charge when Dodd had signed leaving the Saints star in the dark about who he would be playing for in 2025, although the appointment of Wayne Bennett was one that put his “mind at ease”.

“The coach had left, and I didn’t have any idea who the coach would be and it was a bit (iffy),” Dodd explained to Fox Sports.

“Then when the coach was announced… from day one (Bennett) put my mind at ease and said what he wants from me.

“Whenever I play, whenever that may be, I know exactly what I have to do and that put my mind at ease.”

Ex-St Helens man Lewis Dodd discusses Souths move and Bennett influence

Lewis Dodd St Helens

Credit: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

With his contract expiring, Dodd was intrigued to test himself Down Under and asked for his manager to put feelers out – something that helped the Englishman realise how desperate he was for the move.

He said: “It’s a bit of a weird one. I just remember saying to my manager, ‘See if there’s an opportunity’. It was getting to that time where I had to make a decision.

“Then (I remember) speaking to my family and my partner and just saying, ‘Do we give it a crack?’.

“He (my manager) came back a couple of weeks later and he mentioned he was meeting some people from the Rabbitohs. I said, ‘Oh yeah, just let me know how it goes. If they need to speak to me, I will speak to them’.”

Having learned that there was interest in his talents, it saw the St Helens playmaker go from curious to keen as he explained he was wishing upon a phone call back.

He explained: “Then you get that thing and it was like, ‘Holy f***, is this serious?’. My heart sort of dropped and I was sweating. I was thinking, ‘Please, just ring back’.

“It sort of just went from there and I knew I’d made the right decision and it felt right just how they was with me over that period. I wasn’t a player, I hadn’t signed, and I hadn’t done a day there.

“But the way they treated me and my partner was first class, so from day one I could not have asked for anything more.”

With the deal done, the confusion came about when Demetriou was axed but Dodd further explained how former England head coach Bennett helped put him at ease.

“He keeps it brief and honest and that’s all you can ask as a footballer, that’s what you want your coach to be, upfront and honest.,” the former St Helens star explained.

“He will know exactly what he wants from you on day one, then it’s up to you to deliver. He’s very good at understanding the person and from day one, he’s certainly got the best out of me straight away.

“Even when I don’t think I can do a certain thing, he gives you the belief or the confidence that you can. If you ask any of the boys, that’s what he’s trying to do… it’s been good.”

Dodd could feature in this weekend’s upcoming trial game with all eyes set to be on the Englishman and how he fares on debut.

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