Over the weekend Phil Rothfield of the Daily Telegraph reported that Lewis Dodd had told St Helens that he wanted to go to the NRL at the end of his current contract which expires in 2024.
Naturally, this subject was brought up in Paul Wellens’ press conference as he prepares his side to take on Warrington Wolves.
On the matter, Wellens said on Saints TV: “I don’t pay too much attention to be honest. Lewis Dodd is our player in 2023 and 2024. My job as a coach is to do all I can to improve players as much as I can, that’s no different to Lewis.
“The speculation is what it is, you can never ask for it go away and that to happen. What is important for us as a team and Lewis as a player is continuing to work hard and keep performing, everything else takes care of itself off the back of that.
“He’s a fantastic player, he’s obviously someone that we hold in the highest regard and he’s a player who we’d love to be here not just next year but for many many years to come.
“Like I said those situations take care of themselves down the track.”
He also addressed whether it was a worry for the club: “I’ve had a chat with Lewis and I’ve had a chat with a lot of players in different circumstances. What I want to do is help Lewis to perform like I do every player.
“Having those conversations is important. Can it be a little bit unsettling at times? Well each individual reacts differently in those situations .
“The speculation is there and we can’t do anything about it.”
