South Sydney Rabbitohs head coach Wayne Bennett has revealed Cody Walker is set to re-sign with the club for another year.
Despite countless injury issues over the last 12 months, the Rabbitohs are set to take a risk and extend the five-eighth's career into 2026.
The veteran has managed just eight games this year owing to a litany of injuries, but has laid on five try assists for the struggling Rabbitohs in those appearances.
South Sydney have had a long injury toll this year, with the Maroubra-based club at the wrong end of the ladder.
Despite that, English halfback Lewis Dodd has played just a handful of games for the outfit, with Bennett constantly looking in other directions when opportunities have arisen at both number six and seven.
While Dodd's management have indicated the Rabbitohs aren't forcing him out of Maroubra, there is little chance he is going to hang around for another year in reserve grade, and Bennett, speaking to the media on Thursday, said there is no one to replace Walker in words that will likely cut the Englishman.
“(Walker) is going to do another year here, and you just hope that there are injuries where you can miss them or you can get him. We just take a risk there and hopefully we can get a lot more out of him going forward,” Bennett said per News Corp.
“To lose Cody Walker is a huge loss for our club, he is one the smartest guys playing league.
“You have to have someone there that can take his place, well no-one can actually take his place. It's that simple. We've just got to persevere with it and stay at what we can do with what we've got.”
The move to ignore Dodd in first grade has gone as far as playing Jack Wighton in the halves at times, despite Bennett reportedly wanting to leave the former Raider in the centres for the entirety of the campaign.
South Sydney have had depth issues in their outside backs owing to injuries as well, making the decision to move Wighton even more questionable.
Dodd, who was widely regarded as one of the best playmakers to ever come out of the English game prior to his move to Australia, has struggled to adjust to life down under, and there is a constant stream of rumours linking him to a move back home next year.
If he can't find an opportunity in the Rabbitohs' best 17 - and it certainly won't be at halfback given the form of Jamie Humphreys - then he will likely push for the exit.
The competition for the number seven next year in Bennett's side has grown in recent times too, with the confirmed arrival of Jonah Glover at the end of the year, while Jayden Sullivan is also believed to be in negotiations with the Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers over extending his loan for another year.
