The South Sydney Rabbitohs’ Lewis Dodd experiment is all but over, with interest from the English Super League intensifying.
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting French club Catalans Dragons have been in talks with Dodd and are highly interested in securing the 23-year-old halfback.
If a Catalans deal is done, it would see Dodd partner Bulldogs playmaker Toby Sexton in a new-look halves pairing for the French club, who are eager to bolster their roster after a largely disappointing season where Luke Keary has failed to fire.
The move would also be a huge relief for the Rabbitohs, freeing up a significant chunk of their salary cap to pursue a marquee player—like David Fifita, who they’ve been open about chasing—if the Titans allow it.
Dodd came to Australia after five years with St Helens, where his strong form earned him an NRL deal worth in excess of $2 million.
MORE: Haas to shun R360 and extend with Broncos
Despite having two more seasons left on his Rabbitohs contract, he was told by the club last month he was free to leave.
This came after Wayne Bennett’s return to Redfern, with Dodd managing only six games in his first NRL season—three of those coming off the bench.
If Catalans is Dodd’s next destination, he could once again show why he was so highly sought after by South Sydney in the first place and rediscover the form that made him one of the Super League’s brightest young stars.
There’s little doubt that at his age his best football is still ahead of him, and he may yet return to the levels he showed at St Helens.
But his foray into the NRL has undoubtedly been a dismal failure for both player and club.
The Rabbitohs are fortunate that Dodd has suitors willing to take on the value of his current deal, and it just might be the circuit breaker they need to reshape their roster into a genuine top-eight outfit for 2026.