A man who was mentored by Wayne Bennett for most of his NRL career believes the supercoach may have played a role in the South Sydney signing English playmaker Lewis Dodd despite not yet being appointed as Jason Demetriou’s replacement.
Brisbane Broncos and Queensland Maroons legend Corey Parker said he “connected the dots” following Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly’s comments about the club being interested in a Bennett reunion.
“I did mention three weeks ago that Wayne Bennett would be the head coach, I’ll standby that and here’s a few reasons why,” Parker said on Mornings SENQ.
“Wayne knows the club, he’s been there before, you mentioned him coming back to Brisbane a second time, the playing roster does need a little bit of help but the one that stands out for me is Lewis Dodd.
“Lewis Dodd played under Kristian Woolf over in the UK Super League.
“Kristian Woolf will now take over the head coach of the Dolphins, they don’t need a halfback they have Katoa and I reckon it just reeks of a Wayne Bennett appointment.
“No one knew about it, it was left field, it was kept nice and quiet which is exactly how Wayne does his business.”
Asked if he was saying Bennett may have played a part in Rabbitohs football manager, Mark Ellison, travelling to the UK to sign Dodd for a club he’s not even coach of, Parker responded with “correct”.
“Just because Wayne hasn’t been appointed head coach, and I may have to stand and be corrected at some point if I’m wrong here, but just because Wayne’s not appointed head coach doesn’t mean he’s not across what may or may not be going on,” Parker said.
“We’ll see how it all unfolds.
“Currently at this stage Wayne is the coach of the Dolphins and he’ll continue that and he’ll stand staunchly by that and reflect any of those innuendos that have been thrown up.
“But I’m sure listening to Blake Solly this morning, they’re trying to get a head coach in a matter of weeks not months.”
Dodd will join the Rabbitohs upon the conclusion of the 2024 NRL season and will likely start in the halves from 2025 onwards.