St Helens dealt blow as Lewis Dodd signs long-term NRL deal per reports

St Helens have been dealt a huge blow with reports down under revealing that star half-back Lewis Dodd is set to head to the NRL at the end of the season.

Dodd hasn’t been in St Helens’ squad over the past two weeks with injury ruling him out of the Red Vee’s wins against Hull FC and Huddersfield Giants.

Saints will likely have to get used to playing without him as it is now being reported by The Daily Telegraph that the 22-year-old will be taking his talents to the NRL.

St Helens star set to join South Sydney Rabbitohs

Dodd is off contract with St Helens at the end of 2024 and there has been plenty of talk surrounding an NRL move ever since his game-winning drop goal in the World Club Challenge against Penrith Panthers in 2023.

Rumours of a move down under have continued to circulate with reports that he ‘continued to attract interest’ from NRL clubs breaking earlier in the month.

Fast forward two weeks and The Telgraph’s Michael Carayannis has revealed that Dodd will be joining South Sydney Rabbitohs on a long-term deal from the start of the 2025 season.

The Telegraph revealed: “Struggling South Sydney have been given a much-needed boost with the Rabbitohs set to agree to a shock long-term deal with English halfback Lewis Dodd.

“It is understood that Dodd is likely to join the Rabbitohs from next season on a three to four year contract having told his Super League club St Helens of the impending move.”

Who is Lewis Dodd?

NRL fans will likely only know Dodd from that iconic drop goal in the World Club Challenge against Penrith Panthers back in February of 2023.

The 22-year-old half has been dubbed by The Telegraph as “arguably the hottest prospect playing in Super League” but the Englishman has had a difficult 2024 campaign so far.

St Helens’ attack has been maligned by the club’s fans with the Red Vee ascending to the top of Super League based on their incredible defence, as opposed to their cutthroat attack.

That’s an attack that Dodd has spearheaded over the last two seasons after he spent much of the 2022 campaign sidelined with an achilles injury.

As such the 22-year-old only has 66 Super League games to his name, almost half of which came in 2023 when he racked up 29 appearances for the Red Vee, an incredible feat of playing in every game after recovering from such a devastating injury.

He’s not carried that form over into 2024 with just three tries in his seven appearances so far in Super League as part of an attack that has been a flat-track bully, scoring 98 points against London Broncos and Hull FC but just 111 in their seven other matches.