Cody Walker will embark on his quest for an elusive premiership alongside a new face and a very familiar one.
To the newbie first. Lewis Dodd, the new South Sydney halfback, arrives as something of an unknown to local fans. Best known for kicking the winning field goal in the World Club Challenge clash against Penrith two years ago, the English import will be Walker’s halves partner in crime. Only time will tell if Dodd or the club took the bigger risk in making the three-year commitment.
And then there’s the “funny old man”, as Walker describes him, that is returning coach Wayne Bennett.
“He’s been wonderful personally for my career the three years that he was here,” Walker says.
“He brings that aura, he brings that presence about him. He’s such an experienced campaigner. He’s been around the game for a very long time, and he still loves it, he still finds so much enjoyment in coaching.
“He’s been wonderful throughout the pre-season.”
Cody Walker and Wayne Bennett had great success at the Rabbitohs, but they couldn’t land that elusive NRL premiership.Credit: Getty Images
Despite not having won a title, Walker is the greatest conductor of his generation. During the past decade, no one has been more prolific in setting up his teammates. He averages 0.889 try assists a game (that’s a smidgen ahead of fellow evergreen half Daly Cherry-Evans’ rate of 0.8852), according to Champion Data. That goes alongside the 100 tries Walker has scored in his 217 NRL appearances.
It’s one of the reasons Cliff Lyons recently mused that no current player reminds him of himself more than Walker.
“He waves it around and everyone watches the ball – the next minute, wham!” Lyons said.
Walker’s best years, like those of teammate and close friend Latrell Mitchell, have been enjoyed while playing under the watchful eye of Bennett.
“It’s no secret that we had a lot of success with Wayne,” Walker says. “He’s not coming down here to waste anyone’s time, he’s coming down to see some results.
“He wants to win a comp. So without talking about that being our end goal and looking too far down the season, he’s wasted no time getting in and putting the work in.
“You can see the fitness of some of the senior players, who are pretty important parts of our group, which is amazing. Very excited about it.”
It seems Walker and Bennett were destined to work together. Before he joined Souths in 2019, the veteran mentor attempted to lure Walker to the Broncos.
Rabbitohs star Cody Walker.Credit: Getty Images
“If you remember back then, I had a meeting and nearly signed with Brisbane,” Walker recalls.
“[Bennett] said, ‘You wouldn’t come to Brisbane for me to coach you, so I’ll have to come down and coach you here’.
“That’s just his way of making you feel comfortable. It’s one of his greatest strengths.”
Dodd’s own introduction to Bennett was equally memorable. On his first day at Heffron Park, while lying on a massage table, Bennett approached the newcomer.
Bennett: “How are ya? What’s your name?”
Dodd: “Lewis.”
Bennett: “Lewis who?”
Dodd: “Dodd.”
Bennett: “Ah, you’re the Pommie.”
The interaction brought a smile to Walker’s face.
“It’s pretty funny, and that’s Wayne,” Walker says. “He just broke the ice straight away.”
Walker’s partnership with Dodd has also been put on ice. A calf injury will sideline Walker for the upcoming trials, although the veteran playmaker is hopeful he will be fit for the opening-round encounter against the Dolphins.
While the setback has limited the amount of time the pair have to gel on the field, Walker is impressed with what he’s seen of Dodd during the pre-season.
“I didn’t watch too much of him play last year, I had no clue what he brings,” Walker concedes.
“But seeing him at training and seeing some of the things he does, he’s got a fair bit of skill.
“He’s quite quick, and he loves playing that natural halfback game. I’m looking forward to building that partnership over the next few weeks and into round one.”
Nobody counts numbers better than Walker. In the blink of an eye, he can float into space or attract the eyes of a defender whose job should be elsewhere. The NRL recently changed the interpretation of the obstruction rule so that defenders will no longer be rewarded for making bad reads. That will result in more tries and more try assists, with the biggest beneficiary likely to be Walker.
‘He’s not coming down here to waste anyone’s time, he’s coming down to see some results. He wants to win a comp.’
Cody Walker on Wayne Bennett
Dodd’s job will be to ensure the Rabbitohs are as big a threat on the right flank as Walker provides on their lethal left.
“He likes to play up in front as a halfback, play with his forwards,” Walker says of his new halves partner.
“He does like to run it a fair bit, so if they’re gonna defend differently against our team, he’ll take the opportunities when they present them.
“He’s a competitor, he’s fit, he’s ready to go, so I’m looking forward to it.”
The calf issue will prevent Walker from taking his place in the traditional All Stars match. The 35-year-old took exception to suggestions he pulled out of the match for anything other than injury reasons, as debate swirls around the event’s place in the rugby league calendar.
Cody Walker and his great mate Latrell Mitchell.Credit: Getty
For various reasons, main attractions Walker, Latrell Mitchell, Josh Addo-Carr, Tyrell Sloan, Nicho Hynes, Will Kennedy, Kotoni Staggs and Braydon Trindall won’t be available, prompting debate about whether it would be better staged after the grand final.
“There’s always going to be challenges wherever you have it; there’s going to be questions asked about whether it’s the right time or wrong time,” Walker says.
“I think it gives a wonderful opportunity for some guys that haven’t played much first grade to be in an environment to showcase their skills.
“If you look over the years, there’s been players that have played All Stars before they’ve debuted [in the NRL]; there’s been some wonderful stories where that kick-started them onto an NRL career.
“Josh Kerr was probably the first one in 2019, Shaq Mitchell, one of our guys who played All Stars, and it really gave them that kick-start that was needed. I’m sure this will present another opportunity for someone else.
“It’s always a good opportunity for guys who don’t necessarily know too much about their heritage to come in and learn from the wonderful things we do in the camp.
“I’m sure you speak to everyone that’s a part of those camps, it’s always a good start to the season. I can see all the debates and all the chats, we’ll just see how that pans out.”
The immediate focus, however, is the Rabbitohs. They were touted as premiership contenders at the start of last year after adding Canberra superstar Jack Wighton to their backline, but another disastrous campaign resulted in them finishing second last, just one win above spooners Wests Tigers.
“It’s probably burnt the last two seasons, if I’m being completely honest, not playing finals footy,” Walker says.
“There’s no secret we had a lot of success from 2018; we played in every prelim until 2024. It’s certainly burnt those few seasons, and we’ve learnt from that. We’re working extremely hard to not feel that pain again.
“Everyone’s stopped talking about that type of stuff and now it’s about putting it into action.
“It’s shown over the last few months that we’re ready to turn it around. We just don’t want to talk ourselves up, don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.
“We understand that we, as a collective, need to be better. We’ll put that into action over the pre-season. We’re just ready to go.”
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