South Syndey Rabbitohs face latest Lewis Dodd call with key man set for return
Lewis Dodd made his first NRL start in South Sydney's heavy defeat to Newcastle Knights
South Sydney Rabbitohs boss Wayne Bennett faces yet another major half-back selection headache, with star man Jamie Humphreys back in contention this weekend.
The 23-year-old had started all five of Souths’ opening fixtures in the number seven jersey prior to picking up a hamstring injury.
South Sydney face latest Lewis Dodd selection call
His absence has allowed the door to be opened for Dodd to come into the Rabbitohs side, with him making his debut off the bench against Canterbury Bulldogs and later going on to start in their defeat to Newcastle Knights last weekend.
MORE NRL: NRL Wrap: Panthers are back (possibly), concussion chaos and shambolic Storm
Should Humpreys be deemed fully fit to play, he would likely come straight back into the halves, leaving either Dodd or Jayden Sullivan out of the team. Out of the pair, Sullivan seems to hold the upper hand in the eyes of Bennett, with him featuring in eight of Souths’ nine outings this season – either in the starting side or off the bench.
It has not been the start the former St Helens ace would have wanted from his early days in the NRL. He picked up a suspension in his side’s third and final match of pre-season, which allowed Humphreys to usurp him as the starting half-back in the early days of the regular season.
Disciplinary issues reared their head again just a few weeks later too. Humphreys and fellow half-back Cody Walker both picked up knocks in their heroic 20-14 win over the Sydney Roosters, but another ban picked up on NSW Cup duty again left him out of the side.
He eventually did make his NRL debut off the bench in their hammering by the Bulldogs, and he has since gone onto make two further appearances in first-grade.
Elsewhere, Souths look set to be boosted by the return of star back Latrell Mitchell from suspension, which comes at the perfect time too, following a knock to regular full-back Jye Gray.
READ NEXT: NRL coach named as St Helens ‘number one target’ amid growing Paul Wellens exit rumours
