English half-back Lewis Dodd has signed a three-year contract with the NRL’s South Sydney Rabbitohs from Super League team St Helens, effective 2025.
Since making his first team debut in 2020, the 22-year-old has made 76 appearances for St Helens and scored 26 tries.
Dodd declined a contract extension from St Helens after this season, citing his desire to prove himself in the NRL with the Rabbitohs.
During his tenure in the starting lineup, Dodd has assisted Saints in winning three Super League championships, the League Leaders’ Shield, the Challenge Cup, and the World Club Challenge.
“Lewis is one of the rising stars in England and he indicated to us that he wanted to test himself in the NRL and the Rabbitohs were the club he wanted to do that with,” Rabbitohs head of football Mark Ellison said after signing Dodd from 2025.
“We’ve had excellent interactions with him, and we’re excited for him to join our team for the 2025 preseason.” We send him our best wishes for the rest of the St. Helens season.
“While it’s disappointing that Lewis has chosen to move on from the club come the end of the year, we will wish him well in the next chapter once the season has finished,” St. Helens chief executive Mike Rush said in response to Dodd’s departure.We are confident Lewis will continue to have a strong commitment to the team that has helped him grow and advance, and he will give Saints and his teammates their all for the balance of 2024.
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Dodd will play for St Helens for the remainder of this season, as Paul Wellens’ team is still a strong contender for the Super League and Challenge Cup. At the end of the season, he will travel to Australia in preparation for beginning a three-year contract with Souths.
“It was not a decision that was made overnight, there were a lot of sleepless nights and tough conversations with family and people close to me, it’s been a tough decision,” Dodd stated in a press release issued by St Helens following the announcement on Sunday.
“The Saints players, from the top to the lowest, have given me the possibilities I have and have had throughout my playing career. My family is happy to have me as a member of St. Helens, since it has not only improved my game but also me as a person. I will always be appreciative of St. Helens and the lessons they imparted to me in and out of the classroom.
This season, I have only one goal in mind: to play for the Saints, give it my best, and do the necessary duties every week. I have no other thoughts. With any luck, that will result in trophies, which I know the supporters and the team deserve.
“Winning those two trophies for St Helens is the most important thing to me right now. There are two trophies to be won this year. I want to be there at Old Trafford, clutching those trophies in the hands of the supporters, experiencing another one of those priceless moments in life.
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