ST HELENS star Lewis Dodd has been warned against joining a specific club by chief executive Mike Rush as the latter explains why the Super League halfback would never be allowed to leave early.
The 21-year-old halfback has quickly become one of the leading playmakers in Super League with his performance in the World Club Challenge victory over Penrith Panthers ensuring Saints made history.
Dodd has already signed with leading NRL agent George Mimis with a potential view for a move Down Under in the near future, but Rush has no intention of letting him leave early.
“Lewis has expressed a desire to play NRL,” Rush told the Daily Telegraph. “And I’m sure George Mimis will eventually be shopping him around.
“We’d never let him go early because it sets a precedent. We don’t want a player saying ‘you did it for him, why can’t you do it for me?’”
That being said, Rush is keen for Dodd not to ‘waste his time’ by signing for a side such as Wests Tigers.
“If you go to a Wests Tigers you could be wasting your time,” Rush said.
“He’s still young and has only played 41 games.
“If he came and asked me for an opinion, I’d be happy to give him my thoughts on the better clubs to join.”
Wests are currently rooted to the bottom of the NRL ladder with head coach Tim Sheens failing to inspire anything of a revival after a disappointing 2022 season.
