Lewis dud: Bennett admits Souths got it wrong with English import, but returns serve after ‘cheap shots’

Wayne Bennett has conceded South Sydney got it wrong signing Lewis Dodd, but says it was not their first recruitment blunder, and it will not be the club’s last.

A week after Bennett said he was unsure if English recruit Dodd would remain at the club beyond this season, the Rabbitohs have granted the former St Helens playmaker permission to look for a new home.

Dodd still has two years remaining on a deal worth about $650,000 a season, which means Souths will need to pay part of his salary if he finds another club in the NRL or back home in the UK-based Super League.

The fact Dodd was paid handsomely but barely used in first grade led to the likes of Braith Anasta declaring on Fox Sports that the deal was “one of the great recruitment blunders in NRL history”.

“Everybody has an opinion,” Bennett said on Saturday. “If that’s his [Anasta’s] opinion, that’s his opinion.

“What I do know is, with the exception of Penrith, who have won four in a row, everybody doesn’t win a premiership every year.

“We do make mistakes, we do get things wrong, but we get a lot of things right. We don’t get the praise when we get it right.

“When we get it wrong, someone like Braith comes out, cheap shoting the decision made at the time ... we won’t always get it right. We move on, learn our lessons … ”

When asked if the decision was based on Dodd’s price tag or poor form, Bennett said: “It might not even be his form, it might be his ability. You work it out.

“He’s in a tough place. The harshest thing that can happen to a player is to be told you’re not in first grade, when you think you should be a first-grader. I won’t add to it. People can work it out for themselves.”

Dodd will stay in Sydney to play NSW Cup for Souths on Sunday as the NRL side heads to the Gold Coast for a game being dubbed the “Spoon Bowl”.

Should Souths win, it will go a long way to helping Bennett avoid the spoon, which he has never collected during his extraordinary 958-game NRL coaching career. The Rabbitohs still have another bye, which gives them a big advantage over their wooden spoon rivals.

Latrell Mitchell (quadriceps) will return at left centre on Sunday against the Titans, as will Brandon Smith (knee), who plays his 150th game. Jamie Humphreys and Peter Mamouzelos are also back after dealing with concussion.

“We’re going the right way this week, not the wrong way – we lost one [Ryan Gray], but get back four,” Bennett said.

“Latrell is a bit out of touch – he hasn’t played for five or six weeks, we’re not expecting miracles from him – but he gives everybody else around him confidence, and that’s important.”

While Cody Walker (calf) and Cam Murray (Achilles) are expected to play in the coming weeks, Campbell Graham will not return to the field this year after medical staff finally worked out what was causing back problems.

“They’ve worked out what’s causing it, they’ve made a decision – and I support the decision – that he won’t play this year; it will only take him backwards if he plays,” Bennett said.

Souths have endured a horror run with injuries, especially to key personnel, and Bennett said: “I’ll be organising a lot of hospital beds [in the off-season] to make sure everybody is fit to go as early as we can.

“My saddest day here was when I walked out and there were 18 guys on bikes doing [rehab] in the pre-season.”

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