It’s fair to say it’s not worked out for Lewis Dodd in the NRL but South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has offered a cruel assessment of the Englishman.
Signed on big money, reported to be $650,000 per season, Lewis Dodd was announced just weeks before the sacking of Jason Demetriou and the confusion around the former St Helens’ man has continued ever since.
There’s clear flaws in the South Sydney Rabbitohs system given they sanctioned a big money half-back signing whilst knowing that they were considering removing their head coach, with those flaws exacerbated when it became clear that their replacement head coach wanted little to do with Lewis Dodd.
That’s evident from the fact he has played just six games all year despite injury ravaging Souths’ side. Even worse, the Englishman has played just 68 minutes in his preferred position of number seven.
It’s recently been confirmed by Wayne Bennett that Lewis Dodd is free to seek a deal elsewhere, however, the Australian coach has now kicked Dodd even more with a cheap shot comment in his latest media appearance.
Wayne Bennett gives brutal Lewis Dodd ‘ability’ verdict
Former player turned pundit Braith Anasta labelled Dodd’s signing as “one of the greatest recruitment blunders in NRL history”, something that Bennett called a ‘cheap shot’ before then taking one of his own.
Asked if the decision to let Lewis Dodd move on was based on his huge salary or poor form, he brutally responded: “It might not even be his form, it might be his ability. You work it out.”
It’s a low blow comment made from a very experienced head coach who has done nothing to aid Dodd’s chances of making it, in respect to the fact he has been played out of position.
The comment is even more insensitive when Bennett followed it up by noting: “He’s in a tough place. The harshest thing that can happen to a player is to be told you’re not in first grade, when you think you should be a first-grader. I won’t add to it. People can work it out for themselves.”
As for his thoughts on Anasta’s comments, he hit back: “Everybody has an opinion. It’s that his opinion, that’s opinion.
“What I do know is, with the exception of Penrith, who have won four in a row, everybody doesn’t win a premiership every year.
“We do make mistakes, we do get things wrong, but we get a lot of things right. We don’t get the praise when we get it right.
“When we get it wrong, someone like Braith comes out, cheap shotting the decision made at the time … we won’t always get it right. We move on, learn our lessons … ”
Lewis Dodd will play New South Wales Cup for the Bunnies this season and likely the remainder of the season with suitors from the NRL and Super League expected to line up and see what sort of cut-price deal they can negotiate with Souths for the Englishman’s services.
