Souths pay Dodd six-figure package to leave two years early

South Sydney has given out-of-favour Lewis Dodd a six-figure payout deal to leave the club just a single year into his blockbuster three-year deal, with both parties coming to an agreement earlier this week.

Dodd has been looking to return to England since mid-way through the year, with the 23-year-old quite quickly coming to accept his move to the Rabbitohs hadn’t played out how he had been planning.

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The Englishman had been touted as South’s long-term halfback, with club officials impressed by his star power at St Helens. He signed a $2 million deal in May, with Rabbitohs recruitment chief Mark Ellison even flying to England to get the contract signed. But, just days later, the club also brought in Wayne Bennett – and he rated him a lot lower.

Under Bennett, the Englishman played just six games and only started in his preferred halfback spot.

Even that starting spell ran just 68 minutes before Bennett hooked him.

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Dodd then played out the rest of the season in NSW Cup and had at several different times during the year said he was keen to stay at the Rabbitohs to try and break into the NRL. Bennett, on the other hand, repeatedly confirmed he would not be promoting Dodd into his first-grade lineup unless he had no other healthy option.

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The supercoach stayed true to his pledge even as the Bunnies lost player after player, too, with Jack Wighton, Cody Walker, Jamie Humphreys, Jayden Sullivan, Latrell Mitchell, Jye Gray, and Ashton Ward all starting ahead of $2 million man Dodd.

The Rabbitohs also recently re-signed Sullivan for two years, through to 2027, after he was originally meant to return to the Wests Tigers next season; his one-season loan deal was due to expire in early November.

Dodd was contacted by several NRL clubs, The Sporting Base understands, but ultimately chose to leave.

He’ll now sign with the Catalan Dragons, replacing the retiring Luke Keary.