South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has reportedly told halfback Lewis Dodd he is free to leave the club.
Dodd has been one of the all-time eyebrow raisers this year, signing a three-year deal with South Sydney to commence his NRL career, worth around $700,000 per season.
The talented English halfback, who left the English Super League club St Helens for a crack down under, was expected to be South Sydney’s first-choice halfback when he signed with the Rabbitohs.
That hasn’t been the case, though.
Missing the start of the season, he was overlooked for Jamie Humphreys, who himself joined the club from the Manly Sea Eagles over the off-season, once fit, and has barely featured since.
Of his six games, a handful have come off the bench, and Bennett has even resorted to playing Jack Wighton in the halves ahead of Dodd, who has failed to impress the super coach.
Bennett himself refused to guarantee Dodd’s future at the club when asked last week, and now News Corp is reporting he has been given permission to leave.
That will include not just returning to England, but also NRL clubs if one wants to take a punt on the English half, now 23 years of age.
Dodd’s management recently said there was no issue and Dodd would remain at Souths, with permission not granted at that stage. However, after being left out of this week’s game against the Gold Coast Titans, it’s now clear his future doesn’t lie at Maroubra.
The Englishman will not want to remain in Australia to play another year of reserve grade, and could well head back to his country of birth next season if a club wants to pay most of his salary.
One of the roadblocks for South Sydney letting Dodd go is that they need to cover the remaining part of his $700,000 per year salary that another club doesn’t want to pick up for the next two years.
At this stage, it’s unclear whether interest from either the NRL or Super League exists for Dodd, who has struggled to adapt to life in Australia despite some respectable performances in reserve grade.
Dodd, for his part, told reporters last week that he wanted to see out his contract at South Sydney.