Lewis Dodd is set to finally make his NRL debut on Friday after a couple of false starts, with his teammates praising the high-profile English recruit’s attitude after spending the start of the season in reserve grade. The halfback signed a three-year deal to join the South Sydney last May, with the assumption made he would replace Lachlan Ilias in the halves. But that hit a couple of roadblocks with Dodd suspended in the pre-season which opened the door for Jamie Humphreys to win the starting spot. Humphreys was brilliant in the opening month but then suffered a serious hamstring injury in the same game that Cody Walker went down with a similar issue, only for Dodd to cop another ban in the NSW Cup. But after a couple of near misses, the Englishman is set to make his NRL debut off the bench in front of 70,000 fans at Accor Stadium, with Dodd to start if Walker fails to get through Thursday’s captain’s run. “It’s a pretty big occasion to get an opportunity,” Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow said. “He obviously came over here for a reason, and the way that things have panned out haven’t gone his way but I’ve admired the courage to put a smile on his face and go about his work. “I’m sure a lot of people have told him that if he continues to stick at it then an opportunity will arise.” Dodd lost all four of his games in reserve grade, but Arrow says that time in NSW Cup will benefit his teammate who was used to playing a different style and tempo for St Helens. Arrow also praised Dodd for not kicking stones when other people in his position would have become agitated after making the big move to Australia, only to be picked in reserve grade. “I think it was a good thing for him to get used to playing rugby league in Australia,” he said. “I’ve heard that they are two very different games from Super League to the NRL. They say it’s a little bit faster over here and things like that, so for him to gain that confidence by playing in the NSW Cup is only going to be good for him. “He’s five weeks into the season now so I’m sure he’ll be fine. “He’s always struck me as that type of character. He was never going to stick stones. He was always going to have a smile on his face, continue to come to training and work hard and continue to have fun with us.” Meanwhile, Arrow liked what he saw from Latrell Mitchell in his first start at five-eighth since 2019. Mitchell didn’t run the ball as much as people expected, but he still set up two tries against the Cowboys and peppered the back three with his booming left boot. “He’s pretty handy when he’s got a boot like that,” Arrow said. “Everything he does, he’s just so good at like golf and table tennis. It’s actually a joke and I’m sick of it. “It’s pretty handy having a guy in your team who is freakishly talented.”