6 days Ago
Wayne Bennett failed to pick English recruit Lewis Dodd in his depleted spine ahead of Magic Round in a telling move the Rabbitohs “can’t hide from”. South Sydney are missing Jamie Humphreys, Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker due to injury and suspension, with Dodd seen as the obvious next man up to fill their halves void. Instead, Bennett picked Jayden Sullivan and shifted Jack Wighton to five-eighth from the centres, with high-profile English recruit Dodd remaining in NSW Cup.
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Limited-time offer. “You can’t hide from the fact he’s on $700,000 a year..
. they are short of halves and he’s moved Jack Wighton,” Fox League’s Paul Crawley said on NRL360 on Tuesday night. “Obviously he’s not playing well enough.
He has picked Jack Wighton at five-eighth this week, he has moved him from the centres. “It is what it was, they haven’t picked him. You can’t make excuses for it.
” The Australian’s Andrew Webster added: “I remember we talked about this in Vegas when we were there for the start of the season. It was always going to be a bubbling issue, it just seems to be going nowhere.” An uncomfortably reality has been realised following Bennett’s latest decision.
If Dodd can’t find a spot in the top 17 when three of the Rabbitohs’ top playmaker options are unavailable, will he ever find a spot? “They have paid $650,000 or $700,000 for Dodd, they have bought Schuster who is not getting a run either,” NRL360 host Braith Anasta said. “Then after that they went and bought Jayden Sullivan which to me suggested they weren’t that confident in Dodd as well. “They’ve gone and paid what, $400,000 or $500,000 for him.
That’s a $1 million, you could have gone and got a premier half, not that there’s many on the market. “But if Dodd is not playing this week, when is he going to play? That’s the question, he may not play this year.” To add to the equation, telling comments from Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly as Dodd’s recruitment was about to be confirmed have resurfaced.
He explained his signing was decided upon by Souths powerbrokers, in conjunction with the club’s head coach who at the time was undecided. However, Webster revealed that Bennett had already began negotiating with the Rabbitohs and had rubber-stamped the move for Dodd before he was officially unveiled as the new coach. MORE NRL NEWS ‘THEY ARE $1.
03’: NRL powerhouse club firms to sign DCE after huge Origin call RD 9 TEAMS: Fifita axed in brutal Titans call; Souths snub Dodd in halves shake-up RESSIES WRAP: Eels gun’s message to Ryles; Bunnies crisis eases as star takes big step ‘DON’T THINK IT PUTS IT TO BED’: Doubts Galvin saga over amid legal battle ‘NO POLICY SHIFT’: Abdo faces music over high shot ‘crackdown’ amid ‘fan outrage’ “Over time at this club we’ve been pretty strong that the coach has an influence over recruitment and retention, but they don’t have the final say,” Solly said. “Between Mark (Ellison), myself, the head coach and Peter (Legg) the CFO, we sit together and work out which sort of player we want to target. “So the head coach will be signed after we sign Lewis, and if they aren’t comfortable with Lewis after we do get him they probably shouldn’t be the head coach.
” NRL legend Gorden Tallis, meanwhile, urged the Titans to give the playmaker a chance to shine in the NRL in the No.7 jersey. Dodd has played a pair of first grade games, coming off the bench and tallying a total of 39 minutes off the bench.
“Throw him in, give him a go. Seriously, sometimes playing reserve grade, I’ve watched guys playing reserve grade and you go he’s not much,” Tallis said. “But put him in and give him a bit of time.
All our halves are over 30, when are we going to starting (blooding some new ones).”.
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