One of the most exciting and skilful young playmakers in rugby league, Lewis Dodd, will embark on a new challenge next season after he signed his first NRL contract with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Aiming to become the next English halfback to take a team to a premiership since Gary Stephens in 1976 for the Manly Sea Eagles, Dodd enters the Rabbitohs after winning the 2021 Super League title and kicking the winning field goal to defeat the Penrith Panthers in the 2023 World Club Challenge for St Helens RLFC.
While multiple overseas players, such as Joe Burgess, Ryan Hall, and Sam Tomkins, have struggled to make a lasting impact in the NRL over the years, Dodd is looking to have the opposite effect.
Recruited by the club on a deal worth around $2.1 million, the 22-year-old hopes to become the next overseas household name to represent the red and green, following the Burgess brothers - George, Luke, Sam and Tom.
Following Dean Hawkins' departure to the Parramatta Eels and Lachlan Ilias' departure to the St George Illawarra Dragons, Dodd is set to be handed the No.7 jersey to play alongside Cody Walker in the halves.
He will also face a mountain of pressure as the club has struggled to find a suitable replacement since Adam Reynolds left four years ago after taking them to the 2021 NRL Grand Final.
"The Super League has some incredible teams and incredible players, but just that week in, week out grind that NRL is, it's probably a step up," Dodd said at a Rabbitohs sponsorship announcement with Wahu at Maroubra Beach on Saturday.
"Whenever I get to put on the famous Bunnies jersey and run out onto the field with them, it'll be one of the proudest moments of my life.
"I think the only thing I can do is keep working hard. Nothing's guaranteed at this club. I've got to work hard. I know my spot, and if that comes Round 1 or Round 15, whatever it may be, I'll show up for it."
A member of England's national squad in last year's mid-season international fixtures against France and Tonga and the nation's Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) squad in 2022, he holds an impressive 71 per cent winning percentage despite having only played in 88 games throughout his career.
Before signing a three-year contract with the Bunnies, it is understood that he caught the interest of several other teams and was also set to lead St Helens RLFC into the next generation.
Admitting that it was a "dream" to make the move to the NRL, the youngster revealed that he also considered staying in the Super League competition and staying with his family and friends.
"That was always an option. My family and friends are there and I grew up there," he added.
"That was my life, that was my home but this has always been a dream to be here one day and I'm just so thankful and grateful that it's happened."