South Sydney Rabbitohs head coach Wayne Bennett has confirmed Lewis Dodd has been dumped again, despite being named to play just his second game of the year in the run-on 13.
Bennett unsurprisingly picked Dodd on Tuesday for this Saturday's clash with the Melbourne Storm. That came with Cody Walker, Jayden Sullivan and Jye Gray all injured.
Walker was an outside chance of playing, while Sullivan (calf) and Gray (broken thumb) are both set for extended stints on the sideline.
Bennett told the media on Friday afternoon at the side's captain's run that Dodd wouldn't be in the side, saying he thought Wighton could simply do a good job.
Wighton, who has predominantly played at centre - exactly what he was signed to do - since arriving at South Sydney, going ahead of Dodd for the number six jersey for the second time this year is sure to ask questions about the Englishman's future at the Maroubra-based club.
His management revealed recently that South Sydney didn't want him to leave, and no conversations had opened on account of that, but with every passing week, the speculation is only ramping up.
Dodd didn't move his life halfway around the world to sit in reserve grade, and for a player some viewed as the best prospect to ever come out of England, he has struggled to adapt to life in Australia and at NRL level, with his solitary start being joined by just two more games off the bench.
He has otherwise been kept in reserve grade for the entirety of his first season down under.
There is little doubt his future is clouded at the Rabbitohs on the back of not only Dodd wanting to play, but also the Rabbitohs looking to keep their salary cap balanced and not pay a player Dodd's wage while sitting in reserve grade.
It would appear unlikely any other NRL club will jump at the English international, but the 23-year-old will almost certainly field interest from back home if he is given permission to negotiate his future elsewhere.
Kicking off his career with St Helens, he played 89 games for the club between 2020 and 2024, leading the club to a famous 2022 Super League grand final win, and then kicking the match-winning field goal against the Penrith Panthers in the 2023 World Club Challenge.
That in itself was enough to convince the Rabbitohs he was worth taking a punt on, with Dodd continuing to put up consistent form in a worsening St Helens side during his final two years with the club.
St Helens could be one side who push to have Dodd return, but there is little doubt others around England would be keen to speak with the halfback, who, even without any form, could still be in the mix to play for his country when Australia tour for the Ashes at the end of the year.
